Always
by AdrenaVeris
Summary: "Houkago Teatime will always, always, be, after school!" Yui had once said that. They didn't really understand her then. After 10 years though, they realized there were some truths to her words after all. "Houkago Teatime, always." Slice of life.
1. Ut,  Ohayo!

**A/N:** This is a tribute to K-ON. I'll miss it - until the movie airs 8D

This is only series of drabbles (is that what you call them?). There's some sort of continuity in them, but you don't necessary have to read all of them.

Well, as you can see, they are pretty short. It would be in one character's POV for each entry. And even though the summary says '10 years', it only means the events happen between after graduation and 10 years.

It's meant to be a light read so don't think too much about it ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on.

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**Portamendo 1 - Ohayo**

_RitsuxMio_**  
**

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The sun slowly rose from the horizon, its light gradually gliding over the tranquil town, urging the inhabitants to leave their slumber to enjoy a brand-new day. A certain woman was groggily aroused from her dreams, but she refused to even move an inch.

"MOM!"

"Mommy…"

Before her ears could even register the voices two human bombs dove on top of her, forcefully waking her up.

Two tiny, persistent hands tugged at her long bangs, while another pair of tiny hands tried to pull off the cover from her feet. She feigned sleep, ignoring the pain on her scalp and invasion of cold morning air.

Just when she thought it could not get any worse, she felt familiar arms encircled her waist in a vice grip, treating her like a body pillow.

Attacked from three sides, Tainaka Ritsu had no choice but to open her eyes.

Groaning, she tried to brush her hair with her only free hand. Key word, tried. The said hand was quickly grabbed by tiny but strong hands.

"Youko-chan! Mom's finally up!"

A small body climbed up and sat on her chest. Ritsu groaned again. "Are you kids trying to kill me or something?" She glared half-heartedly at the two smiling faces, their bright green eyes sparkling innocently.

"Mommy, Sacchan and I are hungry," Youko clasped her hands pleadingly. Satomi grinned, poking Ritsu's face insistently. "I want to eat Mom's special breakfast, NOW~"

Sighing wearily, Ritsu waved her hand in a shooing motion. "Ok ok ok, just get off me and wait for us in the kitchen. I'll wake up Mama, k?"

"Ok!" The two little angels, no, _devils _cheered and bounced off the bed, running out of the bedroom.

"Just how does she sleep through all that? And why don't they ever target you?" Ritsu turned her head, smiling affectionately at the raven-haired beauty who was still sound asleep.

Tainaka Mio's head was tucked underneath Ritsu's chin, but the amber-eyed woman could easily picture her wife's peaceful expression.

_God, how I love her_. Chuckling mischievously, Ritsu placed a light kiss on Mio's forehead…and tickled her.

"Riiiiitsuu!" Mio groaned, burying her face into a snickering Ritsu's chest while fending away the offending hands.

Turning sideways, the amber-eyed woman nuzzled her wife, earning another groan of protest. Mio's eyes were still stubbornly closed, even though her arms tightened around Ritsu's waist.

Gazing at the black-haired woman's miffed expression, Ritsu heard the last strings of her restraint snapping.

_I swear this is a crime…no one should be this cute! You brought this on yourself, Mio-chuan~_

Ritsu's lips grazed Mio's, almost teasingly. The latter mumbled something, but Ritsu ignored her and continued her path down her chin, her neck, and-

Mio's eyes snapped open, now definitely awake. "Ritsu! What are you doing-"

A deep, tender kiss interrupted her. Ritsu smirked to herself when she felt Mio responding just as eagerly. _Mou, why can't she just be honest? Hehe, no one can resist Ritsu-sama's charm~_

Blushing, Mio broke the kiss, breathless. "We shouldn't do this now, I mean, I'm still tired…you know, from l-l-last night-"

Ritsu kissed her again, this time harder and hungrier than the previous one.

"Hmm? You were saying?"

"Er-"

Chuckling, Ritsu closed their distance again. Mio's eyes flickered shut as she pulled Ritsu on top of her. Their lips met in a fiery dance; Ritsu growled when she felt Mio's tongue rubbing against her own.

Ritsu couldn't stop herself; her disobedient hand slid up Mio's leg sensuously-

"What's Mommy and Mama doing?"

"Shhh Youko-chan, you shouldn't be looking!"

"But why do you get to see, Sacchan?"

Ritsu was immediately pushed off the bed, her upper body landing haphazardly onto the floor with her legs still hanging on the edge of the bed.

_Damn those little…_ She couldn't help but smile at the joyous grins on the girls' faces, though her view was upside down. A blushing Mio hastily got up from the bed and greeted the girls, who hugged each of Mio's leg.

Satomi had short black hair with bright green eyes and an impish smile similar to Ritsu's own, while Youko had long sandy-brown hair, intelligent green eyes and a shy personality, reminiscent of Mio's.

The couple had first seen them while reading through some of the adoption paper works. They simply couldn't stop looking at the pictures – the twins' resemblance to their own was uncanny, in spite of different hair and eye colors.

_It was the best decision we'd ever done._ A warm and fuzzy feeling enveloped her heart as Ritsu took a mental picture of her wife embracing their daughters. _Thinking back, after all we'd gone through to be together, it is definitely all worth it._

Mio turned and smiled at Ritsu, as if she knew what was on the amber-eyed woman's mind. _Yup, it's definitely worth it._

"Mommy, will you make us breakfast now?" Youko tugged her shorts, looking up with puppy eyes.

Ritsu tied up her hair into a short ponytail. Scanning the room, she spotted her apron. _How did it get here?_ "Ok, Youko-chan, I'll go make breakfast now. Now go wait in the kitchen while we make up the bed." She patted the girl's head, smiling.

Nodding enthusiastically, Youko ran out of the room. Satomi folded her arms behind her head and gave Ritsu a cheeky grin, "Don't play with Mama again~ Youko-chan and I are really hungry~"

"Oh, go after your sister you little…"

Laughing, the girl smartly dashed out of the room. _I swear, that kid **has** to be related to me or something… no, she's worse than me!_

"Geez, I really get no respect around here. Even that Yui can get those two to listen to her!" Ritsu scratched her head exasperatedly, yawning. She tied the apron (which has bunny imprints on it) and glanced at the clock.

"Let's see, I'll make breakfast, then Mio can send the kids to kindergarten while I open up the restaurant -"

Her breathing hitched when Mio abruptly wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin on her shoulder.

"You look so cute in an apron, Ri~tsu," Mio whispered seductively, her breath tickling her ear. "I never get tired of it."

Blood rushed to her face instantly._ T-that's right, the apron's here because Mio attacked me last night while I was cooking some midnight snack - _

Ritsu tried to calm herself down the best way she knew – counter.

"Well, I'd rather see my Mio-chuan in nothing but an apron~"

Satomi and Youko giggled as Ritsu's pained yell echoed down the hallway – such was the typical morning at the Tainaka household.

* * *

"_H-happy anniversary!"_

"_T-this is…!"_

"_S-stop staring at me like that! …wait, don't cry! That's not what I intended! Um, do you not like it? I-I'll try to see if they'll let me exchange-"_

"_Baka! I-I'm crying because I'm happy! Of course I like it. It's beautiful."_

"_Hehehe, I'm glad you like it! Ok, now…(deep breath)"_

"_R-Ritsu?"_

"_Mio. I know I've caused you a lot of trouble, and I know I'm not exactly the most responsible person in the world. But…"_

"_W-what are you doing?"_

"_But I know no one loves you as much as I do."_

"_R-Ritsu!"_

"_So, if you will let me, I will stay by your side for always."_

"…_baka…"_

"_W-wait don't cry again, I-"_

"_Always. Promise me."_

"_I was only... huh? What did you say?"_

_"..."  
_

_"Heh, does that mean 'yes'? I'm the happiest woman on earth!"_

"_B-baka! That's supposed to be my line."_

"…_You mean it?"_

"…_only because you're with me, Ritsu."_

"…_Mio…"_

"_I-I can't breathe! Don't hug me so tight, baka!"_

"_I will not let you go ever again. I won't. No matter what the world thinks of us, I'll protect you."_

"_I will not let you let me go either. And we'll overcome any obstacles together."_

"_I'll give you happiness, Mio, I swear."_

"_Baka, I'm already happy."

* * *

_**A/N:** I hope you've enjoyed this short drabble!

It's inspired when I was doodling and then voila, the children and the rest of plot just went from there...

Portamento means a continuous glide from one note to another, usually of different pitches, and this can be done by instruments such as timpani. I'll leave it to you why I chose this word D:

Children's names...are obviously from their respective seiyuus 8D

The italics under each entry would indicate what pairing this entry is focused on ;)

And the last two lines, 'happy' isn't exactly the word I have in mind. In my head it is 'shiawase' but I have no idea how to translate that (and I don't really like what my electronic dictionary's english definition...)

Ah yes, Ritsu opened up her own restaurant... yes, she's a chef. Other characters' jobs will be revealed later.


	2. Re, Oyasumi!

**A/N:** Thank you all for reading! X3 I'm glad the drabble-style is ok! Sorry I couldn't reply to first entry's reviews :( A lot of duties just got dumped on me...and via email too wtf...

Cough, anyways, think of this as a buffer for a certain chapter I uploaded not too long ago...um, or my need to vent out frustration? X3

Once again, this only a light-read, so don't think too much into it. Oh, the time this entry occurred...well, it'll be obvious as you read on.

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on.

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**Ottava Alta 2 - Oyasumi**

_MioxRitsu_

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"I'll be back as early as possible, ok?"

"Bye Mommy!" "Bye Mom!"

Grinning, Ritsu shooed them away, "I'll be fine, Mio! It's only weekday, so it won't get that busy. Have fun at the party later!"

Mio chopped her wife's head playfully and gave her a quick peck before getting into the car. She smiled at the sight of Ritsu in her chef's hat, waving.

_Who knew Ritsu would open up her own restaurant after we graduate? Then again, I didn't actually believe we'd be able to stay together… but you pulled us through, Ritsu._

"Mama? Why are you smiling?" Large green eyes gazed up at her, puzzled.

"She's thinking about Mom of course, Youko-chan," Ritsu-incarnate Satomi bounced in the back seat, grinning knowingly.

Mio laughed softly, shaking her head.

Soon enough, they arrived at a familiar playground and kindergarten. The very same one she and Ritsu went to when they were little.

_How time had passed by._ But instead of a grey-haired woman, who was their teacher, a smiling brunette greeted them by the door.

"YUI-CHAN!" "Yui-sensei!"

"Ya-ho~"

Satomi leapt off the car and dove straight into Yui's awaiting arms. Even calm, reserved Youko ran towards them hurriedly, not wanting to be left out.

Mio chuckled at the comedic sight before her. Never would she imagine the air-headed Hirasawa Yui to become a teacher – then again, who better than the warm-hearted brunette to become a kindergarten teacher?

_Yui sure has a way with kids. Ritsu is right – our Sacchan will do anything Yui asks her, let alone Youko-chan._

"Ohayo, Mio-chan! Aren't you going to come in?" Yui smiled brightly with the twins hanging off each of her arm. You can practically see the hearts flying out of the twins.

Sometimes, when Mio was not busy, she would help Yui out with the kids the best she could – despite being a mother, Mio still felt uncomfortable with crowds of people, especially children who stick to her like glue, much to the twins' jealousy.

Mio and Yui would sing songs, the latter sometimes playing the guitar. It always worked liked magic to control the kids.

And make Satomi and Youko brag to no end.

And then the cycle of chaos would start again.

Mio rubbed her temples.

"Maybe next time, Yui. I'm meeting up with Nodoka later, and it is my editor's birthday today so I have to go to the party. So could you bring Sacchan and Youko-chan back to my place after school?"

"Sure! Say hi to Nodoka-chan for me~"

"Thanks, Yui."

"No problem, Mio-chan! After all, I get free food at Ricchan's! Oh, I need to tell Azusa-" Yui hurriedly walked in, probably looking for her misplaced cell phone.

The twins waved goodbye to Mio before quickly following their beloved teacher slash godmother inside.

Mio smiled to herself again, feeling warm and fuzzy when she looked over the pictures that hung in the hallways. She could spot her daughters' drawings right away – mother's intuition? – and her smile grew.

Satomi had drawn a picture of herself sitting on Ritsu's shoulder and her twin in Mio's arms.

Youko had drawn a picture of both Ritsu and Mio giving her and her twin a tight, family hug.

_How lucky am I to have such wonderful daughters._ Mio walked through the playground, glancing at the swing set nostalgically. The very swing set she had once sat upon, troubled over her essay-reading in front of the whole school.

Then Ritsu had offered to help her.

_We've gone through so much since then. But if I were to go back in time, I'd do it again. I wouldn't change a thing._

After parking her car, Mio walked into the coffee shop she and the others frequented. It was, after all, owned by the Kotobukis.

"Good morning, Mio."

Manabe Nodoka sipped her coffee gracefully; the years had not changed the serious, maternal figure of their group. Maybe that was why none of them was surprised when Nodoka had became a successful lawyer.

"Morning, Nodoka. I just dropped off the kids at the kindergarten," Mio sat down and set her drink on the table. "And Yui says hi."

The bespectacled woman smiled, "How is she? I haven't been able to see her lately. With Ui's busy schedule, I'm worried if she's taking care of herself properly. Azusa couldn't stay with her all the time either."

"I'm sure Yui is fine," Mio recalled the grin on the brunette's face, "Apparently Azusa is going to be staying in Japan for awhile."

"That's good. Yui will be fine then," Nodoka smiled in relief, "So how are you lately?"

Mio swirled her cup of tea thoughtfully, "I haven't been able to get any inspiration lately. I guess it is the peer pressure. I'm afraid I won't be able to meet the readers' expectations."

Nodoka nodded in agreement. "Could be. Your last novel was such a hit – but don't worry, Mio, don't think too much about others. Just go with the flow and trust me, ideas will come to you."

"Thanks." It was Mio's turn to feel relieved. She always enjoyed talking to Nodoka, it was like talking to Mama – um, _mother_.

Her hit-novel was titled _Halcyon Days_, a story about the adventures of four simple high school girls who formed a light music club - no, it had absolutely _no_ reference to her own life at all.

Nope. Not one bit.

The two spoke for a few more minutes until Nodoka had to go back to her office. Mio then decided to walk around the town, not actively trying to seek ideas but was hoping something would enter her mind.

As she walked from store to store, she realized it had been awhile since she had time to herself. Usually she was with Ritsu and or the children. Being away from them made her rather lonely; it hadn't even been a day yet she missed them already.

_I really admire Yui and Azusa's long distance relationship. I'm really lucky to have Ritsu with me._

Mio thought about going back to the restaurant to check up on her wife, but it was lunch rush now and she would only get in the way.

Time seemed to pass slowly until it was finally time to go to her editor's birthday party.

Kakifly-san was an interesting man filled with lots of ideas – of all the colleagues Mio knew of, she was the only one fortunate enough to have such an open-minded editor. So in spite of not wanting to be away from Ritsu for too long, Mio truly wanted to celebrate the man's birthday as well.

She did not expect it to be midnight when she was finally able to leave, though. Being the only responsible one amidst drunkards, Mio had to take care of them and make sure they get home safely. She had only drank one tiny tiny sip (previous unspeakably embarrassing experience forbade her to do otherwise), so she was (un)fortunately the only one sober.

Blinking in surprise, Mio quietly walked into her house. There was lights in the living room – who was it?

Was Sacchan sleep-walking again?

Was Youko-chan too scared to fall asleep after a nightmare or something?

She could not contain a fond smile from forming when she saw her wife eating instant noodles on the sofa. Judging from the blanket around her, Ritsu must have been waiting for her to come home.

And Ritsu looked so cute in an apron.

Halcyon days indeed.

"Mio! You're back!"

No "where have you been?" or "why are you so late?"

Simply a welcoming smile and a chaste kiss.

Mio felt so content.

Gazing deep into Ritsu's brilliant amber orbs, Mio whispered shyly, "I love you."

Though slightly puzzled at her rather sudden words, Ritsu grinned and hugged her.

"Aww, I love you too."

Mio buried her face in Ritsu's shoulder, her ears burning. She felt Ritsu's chest rumble with laughter. A hand tilted her chin and the couple shared another tender kiss. Mio's lips curved into a smile, and she felt Ritsu did the same too.

Mio felt like they were still high school girls, having just started dating and still dancing around each other's feelings bashfully.

_No, scratch that. We're married now. I'm Tainaka Mio._ Mio's smile morphed into a mischievous one.

"M-Mio-?"

Ignoring Ritsu, the black-haired woman slowly undid her wife's apron-

And so it was another typical night at the Tainaka household.

* * *

_"You look nervous, Ritsu. What's wrong?"_

_"Um, well, it's just that…I don't feel ready yet. I-I mean it's not that I don't want to have kids; I do! It's just that…well, I don't know if I can be a good mom."_

_Mio held her wife's hand, trying to reassure her but even she could not find the confidence. Both of them had felt some sort of connection when they saw the twins' photos – but were both of them truly ready to become parents? Were they qualified enough?_

_The person at the agency then led two little girls into the waiting room. Ritsu tightened her hand around Mio's._

_Satomi and Youko peered up at them curiously; the tawny-haired girl was hiding behind her twin, even though she was taller than the black-haired girl._

_Under the children's intense gaze, Ritsu seemed to have frozen, unsure what to do next. Mio gulped nervously, and then, after gathering enough courage, she crouched in front of them, smiling as warmly as possible._

_"We're going to be your parents, Satomi-chan, Youko-chan. It's very nice to meet you two."_

_Youko's eyes went wide while Satomi's mouth formed an 'O'. Just as when Mio started to wonder what she had said wrong, Satomi broke into a large grin._

_"It'll be alright, Youko-chan! We finally have a mom!" She held her twin's hand reassuringly, "And not just one – we have two! One for each of us!"_

_Youko smiled hesitantly, "Really? We won't get split apart?"_

_"Nope! They're adopting both of us!"_

_Walking forward tentatively, Youko put her hand into Mio's outstretched palm. "Are you going to be our mama?"_

_Mio felt her heart swell at how she was called. _

_Maybe it was not so scary after all._

_"Yes, I am. And Ritsu over there is going to be your mommy, too."_

_Satomi watched their exchange with excited green eyes. Then, as if approving of leaving her twin with Mio, she ran towards a still frozen Ritsu._

_The amber-eyed woman was startled when she felt someone grabbing her arm._

_"Come on, Mom, what are we doing today? We should celebrate or something!"_

_Ritsu's eyes were like saucers._

_"M-m-m-m-m-m-m-mom?"_

_Mio sighed exasperatedly. Amber met grey. The dazed look slowly vanished from those amber orbs, as they flickered from her to the tawny-haired girl in her arms, and then to the smiling face of the energetic girl, and then finally to the tiny hand grasped in her own._

_"Ritsu?" Mio inquired softly, watching as various emotions flashed in the silent woman's expressive eyes._

_Then Ritsu turned around abruptly, wiping her arm on her face. "Y-yea we should go somewhere to celebrate. And fast too. It's starting to rain."_

_Satomi grinned impishly. "But we're inside, Mom. It's ok to cry you know, even though it's kinda lame for adults to cry."_

_Ritsu immediately gave the laughing girl a choke-hold. "Come here you little-"_

_Satomi easily escaped Ritsu's playful grasp. The two then started playing tag in the room, much to the adoption agent's bewilderment._

_Mio only smiled; the previous tension in Ritsu's shoulders was gone._

_Youko spoke up softly, leaning her head against Mio's._

_"Sacchan looks so happy. Will we get to stay with you both, always?"_

_Stroking her newly-adopted daughter's hair, Mio replied contently, "Of course, Youko-chan. Always."_

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**A/N:** I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!

And yes, this chapter happened right before the first one. This is how Ritsu was 'ambushed' X3

Ottava Alta – (ottava means octave) simply saying that notes are one octave higher than indicated - or in this entry's terms, things are better than expected :3

Yup, blatant reference to a certain creator of the whole series *shot

Oh, if anyone noticed, Satomi calls Ritsu "Mom" and Youko calls Ritsu "Mommy". The twins both call Mio "Mama" 8D

So, Mio's an authoress, Yui a kindergarten teacher, Nodoka a lawyer... oh, and how Yui calls Azusa is not a typo :3 Yes, the twins are all over our lovable airhead...

Fangirl rant: 律と澪、早く結婚してください！*scream* K, sorry, I just need to vent it out XD


	3. Mi, Hitori ja Nai

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! So, as usual, there's some sort of continuity. But this entry occurs a few years before the last one. (what the heck I'm going backwards?)

So, no twins yet :3

Um, MIA status over for now... I wasn't really gone for that long was I... Well, test week is over lol (yes, all at once!) So I figure I should catch up on some of the stories this weekend before I get back my results ^^;

Hmm, I feel really bad uploading this after all that happy parts in the previous entries, but it's necessary for the plot (there is plot?) X(

Oh once again, don't think too much about it lol

Enjoy...?

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on.

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**Indice & Medio 3 – Hitori ja Nai**

_AzusaxYui (?)  
_

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_"Yui-senpai!"_

_Azusa was glaring at the humming brunette - or strictly speaking, she was glaring at the slice of cake in front of Yui._

_"Na~ni, Azunyan?"_

_"Please concentrate when I'm trying to explain how to read those musical symbols!"_

_"But the cake is so good!" Yui pouted, turning away from the steaming girl. "Azunyan won't understand."_

_Growling irritably, Azusa swiped the spoon out of Yui's hand._

_The startled look on Yui's face was funny enough that Azusa's annoyance dissipated somewhat. Perhaps it was impulsive playfulness, Azusa took a large piece from the slice of cake and gulped it down._

Hmm, I guess it really is good_. Azusa mused. _

_She did not expect Yui to dive for her - the smaller girl almost fell out of her chair from the sudden lunge. Arms were wrapped around her shoulders and -_

_-and-_

_-and Yui was pressing her lips against hers._

_And then Azusa could feel Yui's tongue stroking the corners of her mouth._

_The black-haired girl was so shocked that she could only sit there as Yui licked her lips with that innocent smile of hers, as if she hadn't done anything out of ordinary._

_"That's my cake, Azunyan! You can't just steal it," the brunette chided dramatically, folding her arms and nodding at her own speech._

_Azusa blinked._

_Blinked again._

_And blinked some more._

_"But now that I know you like the cake too, we should just stop looking at the scores and-"_

_"YUI-SENPAI NO BAKA!"_

* * *

Garnet eyes slowly opened, woken up by a beeping sound from the huge screen in front of her.

_Why was I dreaming about that...?_

Nakano Azusa rubbed her eyes, not surprised by the moisture she felt on her fingertips. _So who's calling me?_

She sighed, after seeing the caller ID, but she answered it anyways.

"It finally connected! Woah... all the magazine pictures must have been edited...I see you really are as short as ever, Azusa~"

"Is that how you greet people? You never change, Jun."

The grey-haired girl laughed, an infectious laughter that morphed Azusa's annoyed frown into a reluctant smile.

"So, what business does the aspiring mangaka have with me?" Azusa leaned back in her comfy chair, staring at the huge screen. "To make the effort of video-calling me, even though you keep complaining about how troublesome it is."

Jun rolled her eyes, twirling a pen.

"What, can't I just talk to an old friend? I need some inspirations, you know!"

"You could have just called your other friends," Azusa folded her arms, unimpressed.

"But they all so busy!"

"And what makes you think I'm not?"

"Yes yes I know how busy you are, oh-popular celebrity," Jun grinned mischievously, "You still owe me, like, a million autographs."

"W-why do you need them? And so many?"

Azusa didn't really like talking about her current status with her old friend – it made her really uncomfortable. She hated how much distance it created between her friend, just because she was a famous pop-idol now. It made her really lonely which also filled up her mind with unwanted memories.

It was not long after her graduation – apparently a scout was there at her last school festival. Taken by her guitar skills and voice, the scout had offered a contract to her, coaxing her to join the music industry. She was uncertain at the time and so, despite her friends' encouragements, she had declined.

Yet, five years later, here she was, on her own private jet flying to America for her New Years concert.

"Well, if I can prove that I really am buddies with the famous Nakano Azusa, my manga sales would've gone up-"

"I'm hanging up."

"Wait wait wait! You're so cold, Azusa~"

Azusa sighed, rubbing her temples. "Why are you really calling, Jun? I'm sure you could have just talked to your other friends…"

"Seriously they're so busy! You know how Ui's never available…ah," Jun slapped a hand over her mouth, looking away apologetically, "Sorry, Azusa."

"It's ok." Even as she said that, Azusa's eyes had already glazed over.

She had not talked to Hirasawa Ui for a year, even though they used to be such close friends back then. Azusa simply couldn't bear to look at the brunette, for she reminded her too much of the other Hirasawa.

"So how is Ui? It must be tough, being a surgeon and all," Azusa forced a small smile on her face.

"Yea, she's always on emergency calls. Whenever I tried to meet up with her or something, she always got called away," Jun pouted, "Oh, have you talked to Mio-san and the others lately? Isn't Mugi-san still in US?"

Azusa's shoulders slumped, "You know I haven't talked to any of them since Mio-senpai and Ritsu-senpai's wedding, Jun." _Why couldn't I stop calling them senpais, even though we are all adults now?_

The mangaka buried her face in her hands, "I'm so sorry Azusa! How could I have forgotten… I haven't slept for a few days, trying to make the deadline."

Glancing outside the window, seeing the sparkling lights of the cities looming closer and closer, Azusa squeezed out another smile. "I'm about to land, Jun. Thanks for talking to me though."

"E-eh? Er, I was the one calling you…um… yea, no problem. You can talk to me anytime you know, Azusa. Remember, you're not alone. Ui and I both miss you," Jun chuckled in embarrassment. "We'll be watching your concert live on TV," with an energetic wave, Jun closed her webcam.

"_You're not alone, huh?"_

Azusa stared at the black screen for a few moments before closing her eyes, covering her eyes with her arm.

_Come to think of it, I really haven't talked to any of them since that day…well, how could I? It was too ...  
_

She still remembered it vividly, the day she blurted out something she could not take back –

0-0-0-0

The two brides and the two maid of honors were drinking excessively in their private suite – after the reception and everything, the former members of Houkago Teatime had decided to party up before the two brides leave for their honeymoon.

Azusa, the ring bearer, was the only one who was not inebriated, even though she had also consumed a fair amount of alcohol. She stared at the chaotic scene before her, not knowing what to do.

"A-zu-nyan~" The familiar hug was expected, but the pungent scent of alcohol was not.

"Mou, how much did you drink already, Yui-senpai!"

"Maa maa, Yui-chan is quite a drinker isn't she?" Even though she was red in the face, Mugi was still holding her wine glass gracefully, seemingly unaffected.

"Yea, that Yui, hic, I can't believe she out-drank m-m-me!" Ritsu was snuggling in a laughing Mio's lap. "I'm saaad!"

"I promise I'll make you feel better about your loss, Ri~tsu." It seemed that the former bassist had the worst tolerance out of all of them, all her shy reservations gone with just one sip.

Azusa felt her face ablaze in flames when the two began making out in front of her eyes.

_Well, they ARE married after all,_ Azusa couldn't help but smile. She really admired them – the two had stayed together no matter how many objections they faced. They still overcame all the obstacles and were able to get married. They truly deserved their happiness.

If only she had the same courage.

"You're s-s-so cute, Azunyan~" Yui rubbed her face against the smaller girl's face, who scowled.

"Stop it, Yui-senpai."

"I love you, Azunyan~"

"I said – wait, what?"

There was a deafening silence in the room. Drunk or not, even Ritsu and Mio were now silent, as if unconsciously sensing the tension in the room. Mugi almost dropped the glass she was holding, staring at their former guitarists with wide eyes.

The brunette in question seemed to have no idea how much her words had impacted everybody in the room.

Azusa could barely breathe.

Could it be? That after all these years of wondering, praying, her feelings weren't single-sided after all?

"Do-do you mean it…?"

Smiling brightly, Yui nodded her head, "Of course, Azunyan!"

Perhaps it was the alcohol, Azusa finally had the strength to say her feelings. Blushing, she smiled back shyly, "I…I love you too, Yui-senpai."

The brunette threw up her arms and cheered. "Yay! Azunyan finally says she loves me too! We'll be best friends forever!"

The bubbles burst.

"…best..._friend_?"

"Of course! You'll always be my best friend and cute kouhai, Azunyan~"

She could feel her heart breaking. So Yui-senpai never took her seriously. Even after she blurted out her deepest secret, it was easily brushed aside, misinterpreted. Yui-senpai had only thought of her as her kouhai, a _friend,_ nothing more. Even after all these years, she still called her 'Azunyan'. They said alcohol was supposed to make the person say whatever was repressed – well, there it was.

How foolish Azusa had been, holding onto that hope all these years.

"Azunyan, what's wrong?" Yui blinked groggily, her eyes slightly unfocused.

Before Azusa could stop herself, her hurt and angry words had already left her mouth.

"I hate you!"

She ignored Yui's wide eyes; she ignored the startled expressions on Mio and Ritsu's faces; she ignored the worried gaze from Mugi. Azusa got up abruptly and ran out of the room with tears streaming down her face.

0-0-0-0-0

_How stupid was I. Yui-senpai was drunk, how could I have over-reacted? It might even be a stupid misunderstanding. I must have been drunk too, not thinking logically. But it was too late. I can't take back what I said...those hateful words.  
_

Azusa pressed her palms against her eyes, stopping the tears before they could come out.

_I couldn't bear to face any of them after that. I just kept running away, dodging their calls until they'd stopped trying to contact me. How could I do that to Yui-senpai? From what I've heard from Jun, who had heard it from Ui, Yui-senpai tried so hard to find me..._

_But I just couldn't face her after that. Why am I such a coward? Why can't I just take that step forward?_

The more she held back, the more the time passed by, and the more afraid she became. She dodged and delayed the confrontation even more and the cycle continued -

Until it's been a year since that day. And with her current status, she kept making even more excuses. She didn't even know why she kept doing that, even though she knew it was wrong.

_I really should not have taken that offer so I wouldn't be in this situation..._

A few days after the wedding, Azusa was approached by another scout from that same company, all those years ago, being offered a contract yet again. An impossible opportunity. Having finished university and desperately needing some sort of escape, Azusa clung on to it and left the country.

It had kept her very busy - her popularity was unexpected even for her company. And so, she had no time to think about anything; yet, during her rare breaks, memories would immediately haunt her, blame her for what she had done.

"Azusa, we've arrived," her manager knocked on her door quietly.

"Ok, I'll be right out."

Taking a deep breath, she regained her composure and stepped out of the room with a small, fake smile.

As she stepped off the jet, a man in pristine black suit approached them, but was blocked by her bodyguards. The man handed a letter to them and, after checking it was safe, the letter was then passed to a surprised Azusa.

Even after so long, Azusa still recognized the beautiful cursive writing.

_Dear Azusa-chan,_

_How are you? It has been a really long time, hasn't it? I hope you are well._

_You must have been really busy with your tour. I wish we could have met up during your stay here, but unfortunately something urgent came up and I had to go back to Japan. That is why I'm writing you this letter. _

_We all really missed you. Ricchan, Mio-chan and I._

_And especially Yui-chan. _

_It is almost New Years. Ricchan had suggested that we all meet up at her restaurant for celebration, to spend the first day of the year together, the five of us. We all look forward to seeing you there. _

_Mugi._

Swallowing, still in shock, Azusa carefully folded the letter and slipped it into her pockets.

Could this be? Could this be her chance to finally make things right?

_"We'll always be together, Azunyan! Graduation will not tear us apart!"_

Azusa bit her lips.

_But I did, Yui-senpai, I broke us apart. But what Mugi-senpai said... do you still think about me?_

"Yamada-san, when does my tour end again?"

Her manager tilted her head quizzically at her trembling voice. "Dec 30, why?"

"I-it's nothing." Azusa tried not to let her disappointment show. With the time difference and her tight schedule, it would be impossible to make it.

_No, I have to stop being so pessimistic. It's still possible I could fly back after her concert. I have to. This is my chance. No matter what Yui-senpai thinks of me now, I'll still tell her again. I'll make sure she understands my feelings this time. I don't want regret again.  
_

She missed everyone dearly. She wanted to hear Yui-senpai's voice again. She wanted to see Yui-senpai's brown eyes again. She simply wanted to be near Yui-senpai again.

_I won't mess this up._

The smile on her face was now genuine. As she walked out of the airport, with cameras flashing and the people screaming everywhere, Azusa did not feel so lonely anymore.

She turned her head slightly, her jet-black hair flowing with the motion, shining under the lights.

She smiled at the crowd and gave them a peace sign.

The fans went wild.

* * *

_"Ja, I'll leave the club to your hands, Azusa!"_

_"Good luck, Azusa."_

_"You can do it, Azusa-chan."_

_"... (sniff)..."_

_A big warm group hug. More tears came out.  
_

_"Remember, Azunyan, you're not alone."_

_"...hic...I know..."_

* * *

**A/N:** I'm sorry! I just can't get away from angst *stabbed* But fluff is sweeter after some abuse right? *stabbed again* Sumimasen! X( The next entry should be up...soon...

I hope you've enjoyed reading it somewhat...

And in case anyone's wondering, Azusa's job was long decided before the conception of "Spiral".

Complaints, feedback are welcome!

Background Information:

indice & medio – means index and middle. They are guitar-specific notations ("i" and "m") ... Which makes up a victory sign *shot*

Hitori ja Nai （一人じゃない）- not alone/ by oneself

Yamada Naoko is the anime's director 8D It's thanks to her that YuiAzu get to be spread!

So yes, our Azunyan is a big star now... Ui is a surgeon and Jun a mangaka...sorry, Mugi, more of you later ;)

As I've said, don't think too much about it... I mean, who the heck would still get offered another contract after declining one?

Random ramble: Congratulations to Azunyan for winning Saimoe! XD Way to avenge your senpais! Bakemonogatari, Railgun, Saki and Rie-Nagi (second place) are really tough opponents after all...well Mio won ISML and all the other regional saimoes I heard about so good job, K-on! xD


	4. Fa, Watashi wa Koko ni Iru yo

**A/N:** Thanks for reading this still even after that last abuse! xD

So to clear up confusion: Entry1 and 2 happened after Entry3 and 4.

"Plot"...eh, nothing intricate. But this whole drabble series' summary is there for a reason lol ^^;

Anyways, this entry occurs after the previous one, so it's near the end of December.

Once again, don't think too much about it

Disclaimer: I don't own K-ON

* * *

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Fortissimo 4 – Watashi wa Koko ni Iru yo**

_YuixAzusa_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"It's Hime-sama!"

"WAI Hime-sama!"

The pack of kids stormed around the laughing Kotobuki heiress, who did her best to pat all of their heads, not leaving anyone out. That just made the kids ever crazier though.

"She likes me!"

"She likes me better!"

"No, she likes _me_, dummy!"

"Maa maa maa~"

"Minna~ Cookie time~"

Fast dispersion. Mugi didn't know whether she should be relieved or exasperated that cookies just beat her in terms of popularity. At least she was actually able to greet her long-time friend now.

"Hello, Yui-chan~"

"Ya~ho, Mugi-chan!"

Yui gathered up her friend in a bear hug. She was quite excited to see her friend – Ui and Nodoka-chan were always busy, and she didn't really want to intrude on Mio-chan and Ricchan's married life. How glad she was that Mugi-chan actually came back to Japan, earlier than planned!

"I thought you won't be back until later, Mugi-chan!"

Mugi smiled mysteriously, "Maa, I think it's better I come back now."

Tilting her head quizzically, Yui did not ask her friend any further. _It doesn't really matter does it? She came to visit me even with her crazy schedule!_

"I've seen the trailer, Mugi-chan! You look so cool!"

Yui still remembered being glued to the screen (along with the rest of the kids), watching Hollywood star Kotobuki Tsumugi's latest movie trailer:

_Sliding off her sunglasses coolly, Tsumugi smiled, "_…_everything is falling into place. Edogawa-san, you are the killer!"_

The brunette giggled, recalling how often the blonde did detective impersonations back in high school. _  
_

_I can barely wait! It'll be an awesome movie! All of us can go on Mugi-chan's private jet, going to the movie premiere with her – _

Her heart winced.

_No, not all of us…_

Mugi seemed to understand the sudden frown on Yui's face. She simply patted the brunette's shoulder, "Yui-chan, we're still all going to Ricchan's restaurant on New Year's Eve, right?"

"-huh? Oh yea, we are! Ricchan said she's cooking something special for us, I can't wait~"

Yui tried to distract herself by talking to Mugi, talking to the kids, anything, but now that she went there…she couldn't stop thinking about Azusa.

_I don't really remember what I said to you, Azusa. But it must have been hurtful because you told me that…you hate me…but I…I…_

No, Yui didn't want to agonize over that again.

After that night, even though Mio and Ritsu just got married, they still offered to stay with her, seeing how pale she had become after Azusa had run out of the room. Yui had declined, smiling brightly that she had Ui.

Ui, being the great sister she was, tried to help her Onee-chan the best she could. But of course, as an intern surgeon, she did not have much free time at all. The kindergarten was the only place Yui found solace at, being surrounded by such innocent, happy children.

Everyone had tried so hard to contact Azusa, especially Yui. Yet, it became obvious their former kouhai was avoiding them.

And Yui did not want to force her. If Azusa wanted to see her, she would come back.

But then, Yui had watched the news channel - that was how she found out Azusa's whereabouts. She could still remember the pain.

No, she could still feel it, even now.

_It's been a year, hasn't it? Do you still remember me?_

She walked briskly past the staff lounge where the TV was broadcasting a certain pop-star's performance. She tried to block out that guitar sound and its player's voice. The very voice she longed to hear yet hadn't really heard for a year, except through television.

She rarely watched the television since that day, much less concerts (the only exception being Mugi's movie trailers). The only reason she still played the guitar was because of how much the children liked it...and that playing the guitar alleviate her pain somewhat.

_I've been told I always speak before I think. I've never thought of it as a bad thing because I've always said what was on my mind. The truth. But that night... whatever I said must be something that could be misunderstood...something that was only part of the whole truth._

She still remembered Ui's gentle voice, trying to comfort her. _"Onee-chan, you must have known, haven't you? Azusa-chan's feelings... and what you feel about her. You just didn't know what to do with those feelings, right?_

It had been a shocker for Yui then. She had always known what she felt for Azusa was different than how she felt about other people, but she could never really identify it. That was why she had always hugged the younger girl, teased her, trying to be closer to her to understand her feelings. Yet Yui still didn't accomplish anything out of it, did she?

_Azusa, will you forgive me for being so slow?_

0-0-0-0-0

Everyone laughed and clanged their glasses at "Ton-chan's Beach". Houkago Teatime's pet was now of an incredible size but, thanks to Mugi, they were able to keep it in a specialized tank at Ritsu's restaurant, like an attraction.

Of course, it was off the menu.

Yui joked with Ritsu just like old times, with Mugi chuckling quietly on the side and Mio frowning at their antics. Yes, it was just like before, except –

Ritsu and Mio were now happily married; Mugi was always overseas…just like a certain someone.

The absence of Azusa was more prominent than ever.

After the amazing dinner ("Yes, praise me more!" "I worship you, Captain!" "Keep it down you two!"), the four of them then passed the time by talking about their respective jobs, daily happenings, but mostly, they were listening to Mugi's tales of her adventures in the movie industry.

At least, the stories were entertaining enough to keep Yui's thoughts from straying.

Just like back then, when they were all just high school students, they all fell asleep under the warmth of the kotatsu, except now they were at Ritsu and Mio's home. Yui unconsciously reached out for the empty space beside her and, after finding nothing, she hugged herself close. She felt her friends snuggling closer to her, trying to make her feel warmer.

Yui smiled, but her throat felt oddly dry.

A special alarm was set so they all woke up when the sky was still dark. Shivering in the cold morning air, they all headed out towards that particular hill – that nostalgic place where they had first went to, back then, to watch the sunrise.

Yui trudged on mindlessly, walking through the darkened the forest. The others were walking ahead of her, conversing quietly, but Yui could barely see them, for she was so absorbed in her thoughts.

The path was familiar, so familiar that she felt like she was transported back in time. But the pig-tailed girl was not beside her. There was no tora-mimi wearing kouhai walking by her side.

She was glad the others were walking ahead of her, so they won't worry about the wetness in her eyes.

_How many years had gone by? When was it that we first came here?_

Yui stared into the dark mountains ahead of her. There weren't any hints of light yet - just like her current life.

She finally climbed over that last step, now standing on top of the hill. She did not even notice her three friends were nowhere to be seen.

She pictured the small girl standing in front of her with her characteristic scowl -

_"Stop eating and start practicing, Yui-senpai!_

"I will…" she murmured, "I heard you're having a concert over there. What are you experiencing right now?" She stretched her hand towards the distant sky. "You're over there...and I'm here. Well, we're hours ahead of you, but I'll still say this…wherever you are, happy New Year, Azu-"

Suddenly, someone tackled her from behind, wrapping their tiny arms around her waist.

Yui blinked, barely daring to breathe. All she could hear was her own heartbeat and tired gasps from the person behind her. All she could feel was the warmth around her, and the pounding heartbeat of the person hugging her.

Light slowly emerged over the horizon, enabling Yui to see her surroundings properly. The arms around her loosened, and the sound of hitched breathing reached her ears.

Was it her own?

Or was it this person's?

She turned around slowly, mindless of how damp her cheeks felt.

Nakano Azusa was gazing up at her with such pain and guilt that it hurt Yui's own heart even more.

The black-haired girl had her hair down, and she appeared to be wearing some sort of costume suitable for stage performance. _Did she come here...right after her concert? But with the time difference, how...?_

Even after all those years, after their initial meeting back in high school, Azusa was still Azusa in Yui's eyes, that same girl who made her feel warm and fuzzy.

_You've grown up...but you're still Azusa to me. Not that popular celebrity...just... my Azusa. But...  
_

Yui was not the type to hold onto some bad memory, yet she could still hear Azusa's words.

_Do you…do you still hate me?_

Azusa's lips quivered, opening and closing, wanting to say something, but only a weak sob came out.

Yui too, swallowed, unable to speak.

During this silence, Azusa reached out, her hand ghosting over Yui's cheek and wiped away some of the tears. The guilt in her eyes increased as she looked away. "...I-I'm here now...Yui-senpai...I-I..." She trailed off, stuttering and trying hold off her own tears. "Please don't... you're not supposed to...you're supposed to smile...not..."

_Smile? _

A hesitant smile formed on Yui's face.

_Now that you're here...I guess I can smile again._

Azusa glanced back at her, that characteristic shyness was still as endearing as ever.

_I've never been clear with my actions, Azusa. So I hope you'll understand how I really feel about you after this._

Yui wrapped her arm around her waist, pulling her close. She pressed her lips against Azusa's almost tentatively. The girl stiffened, yet she did not push Yui away either; instead, she closed her eyes and deepened the kiss just as nervously. Yui could feel her shaking...or was it herself?

Pulling away slightly, Yui leaned her forehead against Azusa's, their breaths mingling together as they gazed into each other's eyes.

Yui tried to find any sort of rejection, any hint of dislike – but there was only surprise... and hope?

_Maybe I still have a chance after all._

She smiled again, tightening her arm around Azusa's waist and patted her head with her other hand. "You're still so cute, Azusa. I really, really miss you."

Azusa snapped out of her trance, apparently ready to retort, but then she blinked, noticing the lack of nickname.

Yui was still smiling.

"…I m-miss you too, Yui-se…Yui."

Smile widening, Yui leaned in for another kiss, this time without any hesitation. She could feel Azusa smiling against her lips too.

The sun slowly rose over the horizon, its light washing over them in a silent blessing - the start of a new, repaired relationship.

"Happy New Year, Azusa."

"Happy New Year, Yui."

"And happy New Year to you two!"

Ritsu jumped out from behind the bushes, dragging a teary-eyed Mio and dreamy-looking Mugi out. They all had knowing smiles.

_Did they plan this?_

Yui found herself and Azusa gathered up in a huge, warm, group hug, reminiscent of the old times.

Scratch what she had said earlier before sunrise.

This was just like before, even back then when they were just high school girls.

They will always be together, won't they?

* * *

_Yui and Azusa were babysitting for Satomi and Youko, which really wasn't that big of a problem. The two were quite responsible for four-year-olds - and listened to Yui unconditionally – yet Azusa was still overwhelmed. She was exhausted – she was supposed to take a break from her job and simply enjoy the week off with Yui…so how and why did this happen! It was hard enough to spend time with her girlfriend due to her work! And since it was her last day in Japan, Azusa had thought about doing something romantic but now...  
_

Just how did Mio and Ritsu handle this? Scratch that. How did RITSU handle this!

_She looked over at Yui, who was happily distributing slices of cakes to the kids. You can practically see the stars on the childrens' faces.  
_

And how did Yui handle them so easily! I mean, she is a kindergarten teacher but still…

_As if noticing the frustrated aura from Azusa, Yui turned around and grinned. "Azusa, do you want me to feed you?"_

_"Nani! I-I can get it myself," scowling in embarrassment, Azusa swiped the plate away from her girlfriend's hand and quickly wolfed it down before Yui had any chance of 'feeding her'._

_"Now, shouldn't we put them to bed, Y-"_

_Deja vu. _

_Azusa could feel Yui's mischievous tongue licking every corner of her mouth, determined to taste the cake too._

_"Mou, Azusa, you need to learn to share!" Yui winked at the two smiling children, who both nodded enthusiastically at her words.  
_

_Steam came out of Azusa's ears. "W-what were you thinking, t-the girls a-are watching us-"_

_Satomi laughed. "Don't worry, Azu nee-chan! Mom and Mama do this every day too." Youko blushed but she giggled as well, "Uh-huh, every day."_

_Azusa had the urge to hit her head against the wall. _What do I expect? They are RITSU's kids, taught by YUI. _  
_

_Yui read them a cute bedtime story written by Mio herself, easily coaxing the two girls into dreamland. Azusa found herself getting rather sleepy too._

_After making sure the twins had fallen asleep, Yui carefully slipped out of the bed and walked towards her half-dozing girlfriend._

_"What's wrong, Azusa?"_

_Azusa's eyes were half-lidded, but she was gazing at the sleeping twins thoughtfully – how easily the bouncy Satomi and inquisitive Youko had fallen asleep . _Yui would make a good mother._ She thought dazedly._

_"Aww do you want kids too, Azusa~"_

_"W-what!" _What the hell! Did she read my mind!

_"Shh they're still sleeping~"_

_"T-that's not fair-" Pouting, Azusa allowed Yui to lead her out of the twins' room and into the guest room. Her face was still beet red._

_"I can't stop picturing it! I'd love to see lots of little Azunyans running around in our house~"_

_"What!" _Little Yuis are better..._  
_

_"So let's make babies, Azusa!"_

_"W-w-w-w-what? B-but we c-can't-"_

_Yui pushed her down onto the bed, all the while smiling innocently._

_"I know~ But that doesn't stop me from trying~"_

_"W-wait Y-Yui-"_

_Nakano Azusa returned to work next day even more exhausted.

* * *

_

**A/N**: That last bit is in Azusa's POV which happened after entry1 and entry2 when Mio mentioned that "Azusa was going to be staying in Japan for awhile".

That New Years part was planned before I wrote the last entry...^^; It's sweeter after that abuse, yes? no? *looks away

Fortissimo – very loud. You've all seen the part where Azusa was trying to teach Yui musical symbols

Watashi wa koko ni iru yo（私はここにいるよ）- I'm right here/ I'm here :3 ugh, I have to remind myself it's 'wa' in romanji not 'ha' as you would type it in hiragana...ugh I don't like romanji X(

Very blatant reference to a certain detective series. I've been watching it ever since I was just a tiny kid.

So yes, our takuan ojou-sama is a Hollywood star now...

I hope you've enjoyed it!


	5. Sol, Kimi ga Iru Kara

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! So we've finally broken away from the angst...? I finished this entry while looping through all those awesome new HTT songs (which I'm sure every k-on fan is doing) and being extremely caffeinated... So, certainly, don't think too much about it, as usual XD

I'm jumping all over the place aren't I? This entry happens before any of the other entries. Chronologically, this is the **first **entry

The time frame…well, it should be obvious as you read on.

I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on.

* * *

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Caesura 5 – Kimi ga Iru Kara**

_RitsuxMio, MioxRitsu  
_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ritsu suppressed her laughter.

Yet, just imagining the expression on her fiancee's face was enough for a silly grin to form on Ritsu's face. She kissed the wine bottle in her hand, while her other hand held a bouquet of flowers and bags of groceries. Yes, she definitely couldn't wait to see Mio's reaction!

Ritsu walked with bouncy steps back towards their homely little cottage… which didn't have any lights on.

Uneasy, she opened the door quietly, setting the flower and wine bottle down on the table and flicked on the light.

There was no one in their sparse living room.

She gulped.

"Mio…?" She called out, not liking the way her voice echoed.

Today was the two-month anniversary of their engagement. After graduating university, the couple had finally decided to come out and tell their parents about their relationship.

It wasn't as if they had expected instant approval or anything. But they thought they were adults already, and that they were ready to face anything. They did not, however, expect to hear those hurtful words from their own families…

And so, under careful arrangements, Mio and Ritsu had eloped to the distant city of Sapporo, Hokkaido, far away from judging eyes of society and, most importantly, the disapproving looks of their parents. Of course, they could have contacted their friends, especially someone like Mugi, but neither of them wanted to burden their friends with this - after all, this was their own problem, and it was something they wanted to solve by themselves... or so Ritsu had said firmly. Mio had almost caved in under their parents' constant pressure- but she still went through with Ritsu's plan, which made the latter very happy. Ritsu then had inwardly sworn that she would do whatever it takes to make Mio happy, just as she had promised when she proposed to the black-haired woman.

It had been hard, very hard, to support themselves in this foreign city with only their sparse savings. The two of them were fortunate enough to find several part-time jobs, the total money earned was barely enough to support themselves. Living in this tiny cottage, they were able to live and relatively peaceful life for two months.

It was like a dream, a wonderful dream of just the two of them.

Sure it was a rather difficult lifestyle, but Ritsu firmly believed that as long as they had each other, they would pull through.

And she would even dare imagine that this could be what their married life would be like.

Simple yes, but very heart-warming.

She breathed in a sign of relief to find her fiancee deep asleep on their tiny bed. She smiled exasperatedly but fondly at the black-haired woman. As much as she would like to let Mio sleep, Ritsu had planned a rather romantic dinner and well, it was only six pm.

"Oi, Mio~ Wake up~"

"...Ritsu...!"

Arms shot out and pulled her down before Ritsu could realize what was going on. Mio buried her head in Ritsu's chest, snuggling.

"I'm glad…"

"? What do you mean? Are you ok, Mio?"

Ritsu was confused by the sadness pouring from Mio's voice – she could even feel Mio's tears soaking through her shirt.

"…when I woke up this morning, I couldn't find you... I know you don't have a shift today but you d-didn't leave a note or anything so…I t-thought..."

Realization dawned upon her. Right…to make this thing a surprise, Ritsu had left early this morning to prepare everything…without leaving a memo or something.

"I'm really sorry, Mio…Of course I wouldn't just leave you here! I just went out to get something that's all. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Really?" Sniffling, Mio looked up at her with such a cute expression that Ritsu had to avert her eyes quickly.

_M-Moe moe kyun? Argh, you can't keep doing this, Mio! Don't make me ravage you now!_

"Er, yes, um, I'm gonna get dinner ready in the kitchen so wait for me, k?" Ritsu detached herself hurriedly. 

_Wait until after dinner, _she told herself firmly._  
_

After setting up all the necessary glassware (_man that cost quite a budget…)_ and food, Ritsu called out to Mio once again. But her fiancee did not answer.

_What, did she fall asleep again?_

When she walked in, she realized Mio was in the washroom. A naughty thought entered her mind.

_I'm gonna surprise her~_

Just as she was about to take off her shirt, Mio walked out…

…clad only in very flimsy and sexy red bras and panties.

An incoherent stammer left Ritsu's slack mouth.

"H-happy anniversary, R-Ritsu." Mio was staring at the ground, her face beet red. Her long, lustrous black hair cascaded down her smooth back, and her arms were folded under her well-endowed breasts…

Ritsu turned around, wiping her mouth hastily. _No, I can't let her know I just drooled… Wait, happy anniversary…? _Ritsu smiled. So, Mio remembered too._  
_

"D-do you n-not like it?"

Ritsu peeked over her shoulder, watching as tears started to form in Mio's eyes again. _What the hell!_

"W-wait, don't cry! I do like it! I like it a lot! Er…"

Now, Ritsu took her time to observe Mio while trying not to let her eyes stray. Mio's face was flushed, and that wasn't from her blush either…hmm. Looking around the room, Ritsu found an empty bottle of sake.

"… are you drunk, Mio?"

Mio only pouted.

"…no…?"

Ritsu didn't know whether to grin or sigh.

"A sober Mio would never do this, ok? Why did you drink it? I told you I got that from the manager at the convenience store and I was gonna throw it away because I thought you can't stand alcohol..."

"…I w-was scared, so I thought…"

Ritsu blinked, lost for a few moments, and then she realized what must have happened. _Mio actually drank this while waiting for me to come back, in this cottage, alone…_ Ritsu scratched her head guiltily.

"Nah, I'm not blaming you or anything, Mio. It's all my fault really. I should have let you know where I was going…"

She gasped when Mio suddenly pushed her down on the bed, smiling like a kid who just got her present.

"So, you like it? You really do like it?"

Mio ran her hand through Ritsu's hair, easily dislodging the headband and chucked it somewhere. Ritsu swallowed; she couldn't deny the fact she was turned on by Mio's rather forward behavior.

"Er…Mio…you're …um you're kinda not right in your mind now, we shouldn't be doing this…" Even as she said these words, Ritsu could hear some strings in her mind slowly snapping.

"Hmm? Not right on my mind?" Mio repeated, pressing her body languidly against Ritsu, who shuddered at the contact.

Ritsu wrapped her arms around Mio's waist, pulling her fiancee even closer.

"I-I've prepared dinner for us, for the anniversary, so, yea…er…the food's gonna get cold soon," Ritsu tried one last time, breathing heavily. Though she didn't know whether she was trying to convince herself or Mio.

Mio _giggled_, another sign that she was completely and utterly drunk.

"But Ritsu~ I've prepared _my_ anniversary present for _you_," she guided Ritsu's hand to the ribbon that held up her underwear. Ritsu gulped, her face heating up.

"B-but Mio, the food-" Ritsu whispered, using that last bit of her will to control herself.

Mio nipped Ritsu's lips playfully.

"Eat me~"

_Boom._

There went the restraint.

And the dinner plan.

* * *

Ritsu stretched her arms, yawning tiredly. She grinned at a blushing Mio, who refused to look at her ever since they woke up.

"Come on Mio, it's not my fault~"

Mio huffed, still refusing to turn around. How could she? Images of last night kept swirling in her mind -

"If I recall correctly, you're the one who insisted we continue the entire night-"

Face ablaze, Mio stormed out of their bedroom. Ritsu chuckled.

After several hits to poor Ritsu's head, the couple was finally able to eat their breakfast in a relatively peaceful atmosphere… minus Ritsu's occasional groans.

"You don't have to hit me so hard…" Ritsu grumbled, giving Mio the puppy eyes. Mio sighed exasperatedly, finally looking at Ritsu. _I was the one who got drunk after all. Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh on her._

"Did I really hit you that hard?" She stroked Ritsu's hair, earning a pleased purr from her fiancée.

"Not anymore~"

Mio rolled her eyes, but she smiled. She could almost see a tail wagging behind Ritsu. Mio decided that her fiancee really was like a puppy dog sometimes - eager to please, earnest, playful...and extremely and utterly adorable.

"Okay, we should get ready for work now, Ritsu."

She pecked Ritsu on the lips and got up. How she wished time could just stay still. She liked things the way they were now; sure, things could have been better, but Mio definitely would not complain, not after seeing how hard Ritsu tried to make her happy. No, Mio did not want to think about the distant future. Why worry about something unknown when she could just enjoy what she had now?

Someone knocked on their door, pulling them out of their little world. The couple exchanged puzzled looks. Ritsu got up from her chair and went to open it –

And froze.

"S-satoshi-?"

True enough, Ritsu's brother was standing right at their cottage, with a small frown on his face.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, Ritsu held out her arm, blocking further entrance.

"We're not going back!"

"Ritsu? Who is it-" Mio came up to them, but she also stilled when she spotted who it was. Ritsu reached behind her for Mio's hand, clutching it close.

"Sis-"

"No! We're not going back, you hear me? I know what Mom and Dad are gonna say. I know what Mio's parents are gonna say too, but I don't care! I will never, _ever_ leave Mio!"

"Ritsu…" Mio tightened her grip seeing Ritsu's hand was shaking. Their engagement rings glinted under the morning light.

Satoshi backed away, chuckling. "Woah, calm down sis. I'm not here to force you back or anything."

Ritsu and Mio blinked.

"Yea, um, the only reason I know you're here is because a friend of mine came back here to visit his family and thought he saw someone that looked like you. I rushed here when I heard about it…and it really is you! And Mio nee-san is here too. "

Ritsu slowly relaxed, but her voice was still wary. "So, why are you here…?"

"Well, Mom and Dad just want to let you know they…well, they've been thinking about things and…they're still not too happy it about it but still… er, they want to know when's the wedding so they can properly prepare before hand, yea. Oh, I think it's the same with the Akiyamas."

The couple stared at Satoshi. He fidgeted.

"So yea, that's it, um, I'll be staying over at my friend's place for a few days. Here's my address – um, bye!"

Ritsu was still staring at the empty spot where her brother had been.

"Ritsu-?"

She snapped out of her trance, and gathered up Mio in a bear hug.

"I'm not dreaming…am I?"

Mio hugged her back, resting her head against Ritsu's.

"I know we're both engaged and all… but still, I want our parents' approval… so we can actually…we can actually get married openly, living back in the town we both grew up in…s-so we don't have to live like this…"

"Ritsu…it's ok…" Mio stroked her back soothingly, but Ritsu couldn't stop.

"No it's not ok! I really hate not being able to give you a better lifestyle, Mio. I mean, yea, this cottage is nice and all, but we're all so secluded from the rest of the world, so far away from our families and friends… you said you wanted to become a writer and I-I…"

"Ritsu, look at me," Mio held her face, staring into her eyes. "You've done nothing wrong. In fact, I haven't even thanked you for being so strong for us…"

"Mio…?"

"It's only because of you I was able to go through with this. Without your strength to pull us through, we would've never come here – we would have just listened to our parents and b-broke up instead. You pulled us through, baka. You were the one who had to endure our parents' painful words while I hid somewhere, unable to face them… We're able to get to where we are because of you."

Mio kissed Ritsu so tenderly that she could practically feel the heartfelt emotions from her fiancée. _You can understand how I feel, can't you, Ritsu? Just as how I can._

Tasting salt on her lips, Mio deepened the kiss more, even though she wasn't sure it was her own tears or Ritsu's.

"So let's just celebrate this, ok? You've been so strong for us… now, we need to prepare to go back and face them properly." Mio pulled away, wiping away Ritsu's tears with her sleeves. The shorter woman looked away, seemingly embarrassed at her emotional outburst.

"Yea…I guess. But we'll face them together, alright? I'm not going to make you face them alone."

"But Ritsu, you've already done so much…are you sure? I mean, I don't even know how you were able to find the strength-"

Ritsu pulled Mio in for another short, sweet kiss.

"It's because you are here with me."

Mio blushed, but her face glowed at Ritsu's sincere words. "…baka."

But she will always be_ her _baka, won't she?

Grinning, Ritsu closed the door, pulling her fiancée towards the bedroom.

"Brrrr that was cold with all that snow~"

"W-what are you doin-" Mio gasped as Ritsu picked her up the best she could, in bridal style, and walked towards the bed.

"Heheh, warming up, of course."

* * *

**A/N:** *shot

…

Um, yes, so if anyone remembers, the "previous unspeakably embarrassing experience" mentioned way back in entry 2 was this drunk Mio incident 8D

Yes, I'm highly caffeinated right now, obviously. This is a tribute to the awesome awesome new HTT album X3 I hope you enjoyed it X3

Kimi ga iru kara (君がいるから）- "because you're here" (Coincidentally, also the title of my favorite song of all time, by Sugawara Sayuri *heart*)

Caesura - a brief, silent pause :3

Ugh, someone tell me a close enough english translation for 'shiawase' ;A; it's so hard to find a good enough word for this particular sentiment...I just wrote 'happy' when it should be 'shiawase'...sigh


	6. Ra, Shiawase na Egao

**A/N:** Thanks for reading! X3 Seeing this entry title now you know what I was asking for a good English translation… XD

This entry is set not long after Ritsu and Mio had adopted the twins.

Ah reminder that the twins call Mio "Mama". Satomi called Ritsu "Mom" while Youko called Ritsu "Mommy". (ｏ￣∀￣)ノ

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on！

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**Pianississimo 6 – Shiawase na Egao**

_MioxRitsu, RitsuxMio_

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"Youko-chan Youko-chan, Mom is playing drums again! Come on~"

Satomi dragged her shy twin up from her seats, running to a special room Ritsu had set aside just for her drums and Mio's bass.

Mio chuckled to herself, not even feeling a slight tinge of annoyance at the unwashed plates on the breakfast table. Usually she would have yelled at her wife for leaving the dirty plates around like that, but now she couldn't bring herself to berate Ritsu about such inane matter.

After all, the couple had recently moved into a new house – it wasn't big or anything, but it was definitely more spacious than their tiny flat before. Ritsu had proclaimed that "_now that we have two daughters, we need to live at a better place!"_

And so ignoring Mio's protests, Ritsu had adamantly bought this place with all her savings, refusing to let Mio pay. _"I want this to be my anniversary present to you! And for our daughters too!"_

It had been a month since they had adopted Satomi and Youko. Satomi was energetic and bold, and most importantly, she was always so protective of her twin. The black-haired girl reminded Mio of Ritsu so much, especially the way she smiled. Youko was timid, but she listened to her twin unconditionally. The trust between the sisters was really sweet, and Mio couldn't help but smile whenever she watched her daughters' interactions. Both of them were wonderful daughters weren't they?

Mio broke out of her musings when she heard discontinuous beats from the room. Curious, Mio quickly washed those dishes and joined her family in the music room.

Satomi was sitting in Ritsu's lap, grinning excitedly. The little girl was waving Ritsu's drumsticks about, hitting the drums in erratic patterns with all the power a child of her age could muster. Ritsu had one arm around Satomi's waist to make sure the girl wouldn't fall off, and her other hand was holding the girl's, trying to teach her.

"Now now, drumming is actually a very difficult task, Sacchan. Don't underestimate it…because it takes a genius to be able to learn it!" Ritsu spoke in a very serious voice, but the grin on her face ruined the effect.

"If Mom can do it, it can't be that hard~"

"Why you~"

Those mischievous smiles were really uncanny. Mio gazed at them fondly as they bickered back and forth. They really got along well didn't they? She walked over to her other daughter's side, sitting down beside her. Youko was watching her twin, also smiling, as if she was content by just doing this.

"Don't you want to join them, Youko-chan?"

Shaking her head, Youko shyly climbed onto Mio's lap and leaned against her. Mio stroked the girl's silky tawny hair, humming a simple tune. Weeks ago, timid little Youko would not have done this, not without her twin. But it seemed that she was finally getting used to her new family. Mio considered this a great progress, yet she could still see the girl was still hesitant around Ritsu, as if she wasn't sure what to do.

Being a reserved person herself, Mio could see where it was coming from. And so, as usual, Mio would encourage Youko to interact with Ritsu more. Mio would not push the girl too much though. Such thing really took time after all.

"MAMA!"

A blur of black and then Mio found a human bomb diving for her, a pair of small arms wrapping around her and Youko.

"What's the matter, Sacchan? Don't you want to play with the drums a bit more?"

"Nah, I can't sit still, Mama," Satomi definitely did not have the shyness her twin had, already used to Mio and Ritsu. "Besides, I don't think I have this rhyimu-rhysu-risimu-whatever thing it is."

"Rhythm," Mio corrected gently, "And it's ok that you don't have it right away. It's something that takes time and practice to develop…well, it didn't work for your Mom though."

"Aw, Mio-chuan, I'm hurt~" Ritsu gave her the puppy eyes. Mio chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Hehe, maybe I just don't have the patience for it, Mama," Satomi's eyes lit up, "oh I know! Youko-chan has the bestest patience! She should try it!" Without waiting for a response, Satomi pulled her reluctant twin from Mio's lap and dragged her over to Ritsu.

"Teach Youko-chan like how you taught me, pwease, oh-great-drummer?" Satomi grinned, putting her arms behind her head.

"I think I'm rubbing off of you," Ritsu sighed at her cheeky daughter almost exasperatedly. "Well, want to try playing, Youko-chan?"

"Come on, Youko-chan, it's fun!" Satomi winked at her twin encouragingly.

The black-haired girl's proximity seemed to give Youko the courage she needed. Youko then climbed onto Ritsu's lap, blinking at the drum set in front of her in fascination.

Chuckling, Ritsu gave her daughter the drumsticks and gently held the girl's hands in her own, directing them to the snare drum and starting out in a few easy beats.

Something seemed to click in Youko. Her bright green eyes were of utmost concentration as she tried to mimic Ritsu's movements and listened to the instructions intently.

"Awesome job, Youko-chan! You're doing great!"

Blushing, obviously happy at the compliment, Youko completely relaxed in Ritsu's lap.

Mio noticed the proud smile on Satomi's face. Really, even the way Satomi acted – being brash on the outside but was really observant and caring on the inside – was all too much like Ritsu.

"You did a great job too, Sacchan," Mio patted the girl's head.

Slightly embarrassed but certainly pleased at the compliment, Satomi scratched the back of her head, "heheh, Mom's awesome so I just figured Youko-chan really needs to get to know her too!"

Mio's heart swelled at hearing her daughter's sincere words.

This was what people called 'bliss', wasn't it?

* * *

As weeks went by, it became apparent that Youko had quite an affinity to drumming. In spite of her shy nature, the tawny-haired girl was able to keep up a fast and powerful beat, better than what one would expect from a four-yr old.

Ritsu was extremely excited at the prospect of having another drummer in the house; she began to spend most of her free time teaching and playing with Youko. Mio wanted her daughter to nurture her own sense of rhythm instead of blindly following Ritsu's often rushed one, so the black-haired woman began to spend most of her time watching over the two as well.

Neither of them noticed how quiet and unenergetic Satomi became because, under that bright smile, no one could suspect a thing.

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"Mommy mommy mommy!"

Ritsu blinked, puzzled at Youko's frantic voice. The girl was tugging at Ritsu's shirt, her green eyes filled with worry.

"What's the matter, Youko-chan?"

"I-I can't find Sacchan!"

Bewildered, Ritsu looked around her, trying to spot the black-haired girl. The Tainaka family were now at the music shop owned by Mugi's family, browsing through the drum sets. Ritsu had wanted to buy a new pair of drumsticks for Youko, and so she had dragged the whole family out.

And now, Satomi really was nowhere to be seen.

"Oi, Mio! Sacchan's missing!" Ritsu called out to her wife anxiously. Mio was standing in front of the left-handed bass section, but she snapped out of her daze the moment she heard Ritsu's words.

"She wasn't with you?"

"Ah, I thought she was but…" Ritsu trailed off, unable to recall where she had last seen the girl.

Then Youko burst into tears.

Needless to say, Ritsu freaked out and held her close, trying to calm down her daughter. Mio also went to their side hurriedly, patting the girl's head.

"S-sacchan must be mad at m-me-!"

"Why would you think that, Youko-chan? Sacchan loves you."

"N-no, I've been h-hogging you both for the past few w-weeks-! I-I should have s-stopped playing t-those drums!" Youko sobbed even harder, "S-sacchan must be s-scared! She must have thought she was going to get sent back to the orphanage a-again!"

Ritsu and Mio exchanged uneasy looks. "What do you mean by that, Youko-chan?"

"W-we were actually a-adopted once before w-we met you. I-I read a lot of books and the people who adopted us l-liked that. T-they tend to ignore S-sacchan b-because they said s-she is always p-pulling p-pranks and is a b-big troublemaker… t-they were actually going to send her back but I don't want to be separated from her s-so we b-both got sent b-back..."

By now Youko was bawling, her face buried in Mio's stomach, clutching the woman desperately. "P-please don't do it! I-I like it here but I d-don't want to be apart from Sacchan!"

Mio whispered soothing words to the distraught girl, but she looked pretty shaken herself too. Ritsu clenched her fist in anger. Whoever adopted the twins before…how could they have done that to such adorable, innocent kids? That incident must have scarred Satomi yet the girl was able to accept them so readily, possibly for the sake of her twin.

Ritsu recalled their first meeting – of how afraid Youko was that they will get split apart, and how Satomi had cheerfully answered that _both_ of them will get adopted. Ritsu sighed shakily, filled with guilt. How could she have been so blind... how could she have neglected Satomi? If the black-haired girl was anything like herself, she must tend to hide her negative emotions...

"Come on, we need to look for her."

After hours of clueless search, asking around without any results, Mio was ready to call the police when they ran into Satoshi's family. The black-haired man greeted his sister warmly, but he noticed something off right away. With Satoshi and his wife's help, they began their search again, more frantic than ever.

Fortunately, Satoshi's daughter happened to spot her cousin in the park, sitting on the swing morosely.

"SACCHAN!"

Youko immediately left Mio's comforting arm and dashed for her twin, wrapping her arms around the startled girl.

"…Youko-chan?"

"Baka nee-chan! Baka baka! H-how could you just disappear like that!" It was obvious Youko didn't plan to let go of her twin anytime soon. Mio carefully extracted the crying girl before Satomi fainted from lack of air. Satoshi excused himself and his family tactfully. Ritsu thanked her brother and quickly went to join her wife's side.

"Phew, you gave us quite a scare there, Sacchan," Ritsu crouched down in front of the girl, patting her head.

Satomi's eyes were slightly red and puffy. She blinked up at Ritsu in an uncharacteristic shyness, "…but…I thought…you guys don't…want me anymore…"

A few tears slipped out of those green eyes. Ritsu promptly gathered up the girl in her arms. "Now now, where did you get that? We're both really sorry for being inattentive to you for the past few weeks, Sacchan, but Mio and I definitely want you here! You're our daughter, yea?"

"Yes. Please don't run away from us like that again. You can talk to us. We'll definitely listen," Mio was holding Youko close, who was trying her best to stop sniffling.

"…really?...so…you really won't send me back…?" It almost broke Ritsu's heart to hear the little girl's hopeful voice, as if she was truly afraid it might have happened.

"Silly, you're Tainaka Satomi and she's Tainaka Youko, alright? You're both staying here," Ritsu tapped the black-haired girl's forehead lightly with her knuckle. "Whether you like it or not, heh."

Satomi nodded vigorously, her bottom lip trembling. She was doing an admirable job not to burst out in tears. Ritsu sighed and hugged her again affectionately. This kid really was like a mini-version of herself, wasn't she?

"Tell you what, Sacchan, why don't you try learning bass from your mommy? You may not be able to sit still in front of the drum set for too long, but I notice you're good with fixing little things," Ritsu suggested, recalling the many times the black-haired girl had tied knots and even braided bracelets for her twin. "So perhaps you'll be able to play the bass."

"Yes, Sacchan. Think – the four of us can all practice playing music together," Mio softly brushed the girl's hair.

"Yes, Sacchan! Let's practice together," Youko hugged her twin again, and the latter returned to gesture just as readily.

"Heheh, that's what I want to see, Sacchan," Ritsu ruffled the girl's hair, messing up the strands Mio had just tidied moments ago.

"See what?"

"That smile," Ritsu grinned.

Satomi touched her cheeks, laughing when she realized that, indeed, she had a wide grin on her face.

Youko valiantly tried to imitate it, but only a soft smile came out, mirroring Mio's.

"You have both beautiful smiles, Sacchan, Youko-chan," Mio gazed at them warmly, "If it's not too much to ask for, we'd like to see them every day. Just seeing them makes us really happy."

" Yup, your mama's right," Ritsu held her wife close, holding up her thumb.

Satomi and Youko exchanged amused looks and gave their family the hugest, happiest smiles they could muster.

* * *

"_Hey, Mom, are you still awake?"_

_Amber eyes cracked open sluggishly, trying to pinpoint the speaker in the darkness. The rest of Ritsu's body, however, refused to move. It had been a rather busy day at the restaurant, so she pretty much collapsed on the sofa waiting for her wife to come back from her interview._

_Mio was fast asleep, clutching Ritsu's waist as usual. The black-haired woman was completely exhausted from the long interviews about her recent novel, 'Halcyon Days'. After greeting each other, the couple had staggered back to their bedroom and had fallen asleep almost instantly._

_Ritsu blinked a few more times, finally clearing that blurry vision. "What's wrong, Satomi-chan, Youko-chan?"_

_Satomi was holding her twin's hand tightly. Youko was rubbing her eyes and she seemed to be sniffling?_

_Unable to move due to Mio's grip, Ritsu took out her arm from under the warm covers and waved them over. She was quite concerned – after all, even though they hadn't known each other for long, it was only natural for her to be concerned about her adopted daughters._

_Youko seemed reluctant to move. Satomi smiled at her twin encouragingly, "Don't worry, Youko-chan. Mom is really nice, right? I'm sure she won't mind."_

"_Yea, just come here. I don't mind at all," Ritsu replied promptly, even though she had no idea what they were talking about._

_The tawny-haired girl only nodded and, if embarrassed, hid behind her twin. The shorter black-haired girl only patted her twins head. _

"_Youko-chan had a nightmare, Mom. Back at the orphanage, the bed was kinda small so usually Youko-chan would just come to find me and we'd be able to fall asleep easily. But here, the room's kinda too big for the two of us," Satomi chuckled uneasily, scratching the back of her head, "Eh, I'm not complaining though! I like the rooms! It's just we're not used to it hehe…"_

"_She really resembles you, doesn't she Ritsu?" It seemed that Mio was already awake. Mother's intuition? The couple sat up from their bed and gazed at their daughters warmly._

_Ritsu grinned, "So you decided to bring your sis to us, Satomi-chan?"_

_Mio held out her hand, smiling, "You can sleep with us. Ritsu and I definitely won't mind."_

"_Really?" Youko peeked up from Satomi's shoulder. The latter hooped and pulled her sister towards the couple. Without any further ado, Satomi climbed onto the bed and dove under the covers._

_Ritsu and Mio exchanged amused looks, chuckling as their daughter snuggled in between them. Seeing how relaxed her twin was with the couple, Youko also climbed up and lied down beside her twin._

"_Just come find us anytime you want, ok?" Mio stroked their hair gently, kissing them on the foreheads. _

"_Oh, but do remember to knock, kids. Your mama and I might be 'occupied'-"_

"_RITSU!"_

_The amber-eyed woman laughed to herself as Mio chopped her on the head. Satomi and Youko giggled at their interaction; the latter appeared to have broken out of her shyness._

_Sighing but also smiling, Mio then pulled up the covers, making sure the twins were properly tucked under the warmth. _

"_Sweet dreams, kids," Ritsu closed her eyes, smiling when she felt tiny hands grabbing hers. Ritsu had always thought that her hands were pretty small, but now, holding her daughter's hand…she supposed they were big, weren't they?_

"_G'night." "Good night." The twins mumbled, seemingly at ease now._

_Ritsu smiled again._

_Tired or not, she sure felt content._

* * *

**A/N:** …(o*゜∇゜)o

This is actually the first entry I ever wrote. Guess why I put it as entry 6 "o(＞ω＜ )o"o( ＞ω＜)o"

Has anyone noticed all the entries are written in 'couplets'…? The entry titles are all related to each other in some way ;)

Oh, it's not typos that both Mio and Ritsu called Satomi 'Satomi-chan' in the last section, which is all in italics, meaning it happened before Ritsu bought their new house.

And yes, Satomi is older than Youko by…one minute.

Satoshi's married too, to an OC so no worries :d

Shiawase na Egao (幸せな笑顔) – Blissful smile. There, that sounds about right. Thanks to all the people who gave me their suggestions! As you have read already, the suggested translations were here and there throughout the entry。 I originally just typed shiawase lol

Pianissisimo – extremely soft

I hope you've enjoyed it!


	7. Si, Minna Daisuki

**A/N: **Thanks for your supports! x3 Busy week this week...sigh**  
**

So, November 11… that's right, Happy Birthday, Azusa! And Remembrance day. So a light-hearted entry.

The main point of view in this entry might appear…odd. *giggle(?)*

Chronologically, this is the 'newest' one of all entries, meaning Ritsu and Mio have already adopted Satomi and Youko, and Yui and Azusa are together. **So, sometime after entry 1**

This is definitely one entry I stress DON'T think too much about it XD

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on!

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**Crescendo 7 – Minna Daisuki**

_AzusaxYui_

_MioxRitsu_

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Wide eyes blinked curiously as she took a brave step out of the alley. There were many people walking on the streets, and some metal contraptions she had heard about many times, were driving by those people. The booming , rumbling sound was almost hurting her ears, for she was not used to such noise.

She didn't really remember how she ended up here; ever since her mommy stopped moving, she had to leave her home in search of food. And now, somehow, she had ended up here.

There was a huge red carpet and countless flashing lights, forcing her to close her eyes. But her curiosity only grew more, and so she walked forward blindly. It was awkward how she had to dodge those people, who were all so much bigger than her.

Why were there so many people gathered here? Usually they all just walk up and down the street without caring about anything else. She almost regretted her decision to weave through the crowds, but then she finally noticed what, or who those people were all looking at.

A small girl walked out of the building, smiling at those flashing lights and chattering people. She was surrounded by men wearing black suits, blocking those loud people from advancing.

Then, a sudden pain shocked her so much that she scrambled right into the path of the girl, who noticed her right away.

_I think she has the same eye color as me! And her hair is also black!_ Though curled up into a ball, trying to suppress the pain on her leg, she continued to observe the girl. The similarity was able to make her feel slightly at ease as the girl crouched down before her. The girl's gaze was so warm that she couldn't help but relax somehow.

"Did someone step on you? It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you," the girl murmured gently, reaching out and gathered her in her arms.

_She's so warm_. Whiskers twitching, she allowed the girl to pick her up. The girl ignored the excited chatter and increase of flashing lights around her and stepped into one of those metal contraptions – except the inside was much bigger and nicer than she had imagined.

"What do you have here, Azusa? The reporters are going crazy," an older woman sat down beside them, looking at her curiously.

"Oh, Yamada-san, I found it right in front of the limo. Someone must have stepped on its paw or something…look, it's so tiny! It must be young, but it's underfed," the girl stroked her back so affectionately that she couldn't help but purr. She hadn't felt this nice since mommy used to lick her fur.

_So the girl's name is Azusa, and that woman is called 'Yamada'. _She stared at them inquisitively._ So what's my name? Or did mommy not give me one?_

Her ears drooped sadly at the thought. Azusa hugged her closer.

"So are you going to keep it? You're busy enough as it is…" Yamada sighed, rolling her eyes at Azusa's pleading pout. "Alright, I'm sure one of your body guards will be too happy to take care of it for you when you're busy."

Those men in black looked at each other and shrugged. Azusa looked conflicted, but then she nodded in agreement.

"So what are you going to name her?"

A sudden beeping sound caught Azusa's attention. She stared at some device in her hand, laughing lightly.

"Geez, that Yui, always sending me pictures…Ton-chan sure is big now," Azusa sighed wistfully. Then she perked up as if she thought of something.

She gazed at the picture of a brown-haired woman on the device, smiling.

"I know. I think you're a girl…right? In that case, I'll name you 'Ai'," pleased with herself, Azusa tapped her nose lightly.

_Ai? Is that my name? I have a name now! So you must be my new mommy!_

Ai the kitten purred again, rubbing her head against her new mommy's hand to demand more pats.

* * *

"Ok, the preparation is complete!" Ritsu threw her hands into the air. Satomi and Youko pounced on their mother, also cheering. Laughing, the three of them rolled on the carpet without a care in the world.

Mio looked at them exasperatedly. "I'm the one who packed our suitcases, you know."

"Maa maa, Ricchan did …bring Yui-chan here," Mugi and Mio then glanced over at the said brunette, who was dozing on the sofa beside their suitcases.

Yui had been too excited to sleep the whole night, saying that she was planning something, but she had actually fallen asleep right before the time they were supposed to meet up. Ritsu had to practically shoulder the brunette to the airport.

They were now in Mugi's private lounge, taking a brief break before they board her private jet. They had planned to give Azusa a surprise visit to celebrate the pop-star's birthday. Their former kouhai was unable to return to Japan due to some show she had to attend. Originally Mugi couldn't come either but somehow, using her mysterious power as usual, Mugi was free of her obligation and was able to plan the whole thing for them – free of charge of course.

"Alright everyone, let's board the plane," Mugi clapped her hands, effectively waking Yui up.

The brunette shot up from the sofa and dashed out of the door in a frightening speed.

"Yui-chan!" "Yui-sensei!" The two girls chased after their beloved teacher immediately, leaving a dumbfounded Ritsu on the ground.

"…I feel hurt," Ritsu pouted, but she also got up and chased after her daughters.

"Ok! Last one on the plane has to listen to the winner for a day!" She yelled, bypassing the three easily.

Mio rubbed her temple, staring disapprovingly at her wife, daughters and the godmother of her daughters.

"Sometimes I feel like a mother of four…"

Mugi patted her shoulder, smiling, "Oh, they're just excited. This is just like back then, isn't it?"

Mio scowled, but then she smiled lightly. "You're right, Mugi. Some things just don't change…and that's not necessarily a bad thing, I guess."

Yes, didn't the two of them used to sit on the side, watching Yui and Ritsu goof around?

The black-haired woman gazed at the ring on her fourth finger, her smile widening.

Walking out of the door, Mio found her daughters jumping up and down from the plane's window.

"MAMA MAMA LOOK! YOUKO-CHAN AND I WON!" Satomi waved at them excitedly. Her twin was now sitting in Yui's lap, also waving.

The changes they did get…they were all wonderful changes, weren't they?

When Mugi and Mio got into the plane, they found Ritsu lying on the floor, panting.

"How did I lose to Yui of all the people…"

Mio crouched down beside her wife, poking her forehead. "Ba-ka. When it comes to Azusa, Yui will not lose and you know it."

Amber eyes flashed. "Well! If it was about you I definitely wouldn't have lost!"

Blushing, Mio lightly punched her wife's head and walked away.

"Such a wonderful sight, isn't it?" Mugi smiled dreamily. Satomi bounced in her lap, grinning in agreement. "Yea! Mama and Mom love each other!"

On the other side, in Yui's lap, Youko also nodded, "They love each other!"

"Although Mama hit Mom all the time~"

"But Mommy seems to enjoy it!"

Ritsu sat up slowly, groaning, "Give me a little respect here, kids?"

Satomi and Youko exchanged mischievous looks as Yui and Mugi chuckled at their friend. The twins continued as if they hadn't heard their mother.

"That's why I think Mom is an M!"

"And Mama is an S!"

"RITSU! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING THEM!"

"But I didn't do anything- OW!"

Yui and Mugi laughed as Mio hit her wife for real this time.

Yup, nothing had changed after all.

* * *

"Ne, Ai-chan, what do you think Yui and the others are doing now?"

The black kitten flicked its ears, mewing affectionately at Azusa who stroked its back continuously. Ai really wished she could reply to her new mommy, who appeared to be very sad.

Ai had been staying with her new mommy for awhile now, but her new mommy always looked the happiest whenever she talked about this Yui. At first Ai was slightly jealous, but then Azusa said that 'I couldn't wait to introduce you to Yui'. Ai supposed this Yui must be very important to her new mommy – she found herself looking forward to meeting this Yui too.

Now, Azusa was sad because she could not go back her home to see Yui. It took awhile for Ai to understand the concept of home – apparently this place they were staying at was only temporary, because her new mommy had a 'job' around here. Ai really didn't like this 'job' thing – she would be left along with those scary men wearing black suits, who always shuffled awkwardly and stayed as far away from her as possible.

"I tried calling them with the video phone but…no one answered," Azusa sighed, slumping down on her bed. Ai got up and curled up beside her, trying to comfort her somehow.

"And Yui hadn't called or texted…what's going on? Did something happen?"

Ai pawed at Azusa's face, making her giggle. Mewing, Ai snuggled up against the girl.

"You're so sweet, Ai-chan," Azusa hugged her close, "You're just like Yui, aren't you? She likes to snuggle too and-"

The tiny kitten listened to her new mommy patiently – she loved seeing the happy smile on Azusa's face whenever she talked about Yui. If only Ai knew how to find her…

The door suddenly opened, startling the two inhabitants.

Ai leaped off the bed, yowling warningly and tried to make herself look bigger. _"I'll protect mommy-!"_

"Awww aren't you the cutest thing!"

"Look Youko-chan! It's a kitty!"

"Wait for me, Sacchan!"

Bewildered, Ai found herself surrounded by two little girls and a brown-haired woman, all cooing over her and trying to pat her. She struggled out of their zealous hugs and ran back into the bedroom.

_Mommy, I'm scared!_

She jumped into Azusa's awaiting arms, shivering.

"Y-Yui?"

"AaaaZUuuuSAaaaa~"

Seconds later, Ai was squished between the brunette and her new mommy. Yet, with the way this stranger was hugging her and Azusa, Ai found herself relaxing, for she could practically feel the warmth and harmless intent from this stranger.

Looking up, she noticed Azusa wearing the biggest smile she had ever seen. Curious, Ai mewed, gaining the couple's attention.

"Aww, you never told me you got a kitten, Azusa~" Yui rubbed Ai's head, who purred happily.

_She's nice! Is that why mommy likes her so much?_

"W-w-well you never told me you're coming here…how did you get in here in the first place?"

"Yo, Azusa!"

"Azusa."

"I brought them here, Azusa-chan~"

Ai blinked owlishly at the newcomers, who all wore friendly smiles that were returned by her new mommy. Who were these people?

As if feeling her unease, Azusa stroked her head gently. "I want you to meet my friends, Ai-chan. This is Mugi, Mio and Ritsu. And these girls are Mio and Ritsu's daughters, Satomi-chan and Youko-chan."

Her earlier impression of those girls was gone. Ai hopped off her new mommy's arm and went to greet the two laughing girls.

_Cool, new playmates!_

"Aww, so her name is Ai-chan! Ne, how did you meet her, Azusa?"

"Stop rubbing your head against mine, Yui!"

"Tsk tsk, still saying those things when you're really thinking the opposite? That's just like my Mio-chuan~"

"I know, right, Ricchan?"

"RITSU!""YUI!"

"Ara ara~"

After hours of conversation, chasing and playing with the twins around the room and being patted soothingly, Ai decided that she really liked her new mommy's friends. She also really liked Yui; she couldn't help but curl up against the brunette's knees whenever they sat down on the carpet. There was just something about the brunette that made her relax and just want to lie there and doze.

"It's time for the cake, Azusa!" Yui shouted, an excited glint in her eyes.

Ai's tail twitched as she watched her new mommy made a wish and blew out those flickering orange things on sticks. Then Yui insisted that she cut and distribute the cake slices. _Why is Yui looking at mommy like that…?_

"Ok, Hirasawa Ai-chan, here's your cake!" Ai blinked quizzically at the spongy substance in front of her.

_Mommy never fed me that...and what did Yui just call me?  
_

"Wha-? Don't feed her cakes, Yui! And w-w-what's with the last name?"

"Don't you think there's a nice ring to it?"

"B-But that sounds like…I mean, I am the one who raised her so shouldn't she be Nakano Ai?"

"No no no, Azusa! Hirasawa Ai!"

"Nakano Ai!"

"Hirasawa Ai!"

"Nakano Ai!"

"She _has_ to be Hirasawa Ai!"

Azusa sighed irritably at her girlfriend's adamant expression. "Why do you even want to give her a last name in the first place?"

"Because!" Yui stood up, spreading out her arms dramatically, "I'm going to marry you!"

Silence.

Ai mewed in amusement when Azusa's face went bright red.

Both Satomi and Youko gazed at their idol in awe. Ritsu started chuckling, and Mio didn't know whether to look surprised or glad. Mugi definitely looked pleased.

Yui was unaffected by all of their reactions and proceeded to explain in a logical manner, "We can't be married to each other without giving Ai-chan a last name, Azusa! Ai-chan would need both of us, right? And I've planned to propose to you for a long time already!"

Azusa was still frozen to her spot. Yui then used a fork to dig out a ring from Azusa's slice of cake.

"Will you marry me, Azusa?" Smiling innocently, Yui kneeled in front of the wide-eyed girl.

"T-t-t-that's so cliché, hiding the ring in the cake!" Azusa finally managed to regain her voice.

"But cakes are the best!" Yui replied seriously. "I was thinking about this scenario last night, the whole night!"

Folding her arms and looking away, Azusa stuttered, "f-f-fine! She can be called Hirasawa Ai!"

Another silence.

It was Yui's turn to blush…Hirasawa Yui, blushing? Well, only for a few seconds.

"YAY AZUSA'S GOING TO MARRY ME!" Yui pumped her fist into the air, gathering her yelping fiancée in to her arms. After sliding the ring onto the still blushing girl's finger, Yui then gave her a huge, passionate kiss.

Ai thought her new mommy's face would explode any second. And then the black kitten found herself being picked up by Yui, who spun around room in joy.

"I'm going to be your other new mommy, Ai-chan!"

Satomi and Youko also jumped up and joined Yui in her celebration dance. "And we're gonna be your new cousins, Ai-chan!"

Azusa smiled at the ring on her finger while Ritsu patted her heartily. "Man! I actually didn't think Yui would pull this off so well!"

"Congratulations, Azusa-chan! Now we can be engaged buddies!" Mugi hugged the black-haired girl, clinking their engagement rings together.

Mio leaned against her wife's shoulder, watching the scene with a content smile.

"Happy birthday, Azusa." "Heheh, happy birthday, Azusa!" "Happy birthday, Azusa-chan!"

Ai the kitten was then deposited into Azusa's arms, meowing happily.

_I have a family now! A huge family!_

Yui embraced Azusa and Ai once again, and Ai joined them in their laughter.

"Happy birthday, my Azusa!"

"Thank you, everyone," Azusa buried her damp face in her fiancee's shoulder, "...minna daisuki!"

Mewing, Ai snuggled in her new parents' arms.

_Happy birthday, mommy!_

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** Yes, a kitten's POV lmao

It was … interesting writing it. Maybe I was sugar-high when I wrote this awhile ago, hn. Some kittens and puppies do see their owners as their parents :3

The name 'Ai' came from the first letter of Azusa's name and last letter of Yui's name. It means 'love' - the first thing that came to Azusa's mind when she was looking at Yui's picture xD

So for Azusa's birthday I gave her a daughter/kitten and a Yui *shot

Uh-huh. Mugi's engaged X3

Crescendo – gradual increase in volume

Minna daisuki (みんな大好き) - eh, how to translate this, um, "I love everyone"? "I love you all" ? Something like that.

I hope you've enjoyed it!


	8. Do, Arigatou

**A/N:** Thanks so much for reading! I'm sorry for the looooong wait (゜人゜)(-人-) sumimasen

I put Mugi's engaged status last chapter because, well, finally, Mugi gets her entry! (I'll even call it a Mugi-special... lol) Hm, this one really feels like a drabble...

Time frame…well, it should be fairly self-explanatory \(・ω・)o

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on

* * *

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Fermata 8 – Arigatou**

_MugixSawako_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Geez, Sawa-chan sure is popular," Ritsu laughed and folded her arms.

"I know, Ricchan! So many people are taking pictures with her!" Yui rested her chin on the drummer's shoulder. The two of them stared at their homeroom teacher slash club advisor in awe.

"And Mio-senpai too. Shouldn't we help her…?" Azusa glanced at their bassist worriedly. Mio, even with her height, was lost amongst the fans who were all asking her for pictures.

Of course, this was the seniors' graduation day.

Ritsu growled and stomped towards the crowd. Yui immediately migrated to Azusa and rested her chin on top of the girl's head. Though scowling, the black-haired girl seemed quite comfortable in her senpai's hug.

Mugi just smiled.

How wonderful, seeing their interactions every day. It was obvious that Azusa was smitten with their lead guitarist who, unfortunately, seemed to be oblivious to her own feelings and the kouhai's feelings. But that was the fun, watching them dance around and gradually growing closer and closer.

The keyboardist then switched her attention to their drummer and bassist, and her smile widened even more. Just like Ricchan and Mio-chan. The two had become a couple not long after the cultural festival, and Mugi can literally melt from just watching them.

So. Cute.

Ritsu grabbed her girlfriend's hand and pulled her out of the disappointed crowd. Mio had a half-relieved and half-annoyed expression on her face, holding her girlfriend's hand just as tightly.

Yes, so adorable, those two.

Mugi discreetly glanced at the other side of the hallway. If only she could be like Ricchan and pull Sawako-sensei away from her admirers too…

Shaking her head, Mugi followed her friends up to the music room and waited for their club advisor to arrive later.

It was quite sad, since this will be their last time in the music room as a student of Sakuragaoka. They won't be able to enjoy tea and play music together like before, at least, not for another year. Even then, it will be different. Poor Azusa-chan…but Mugi believed that the younger girl will be able to pull through without them next year. It wasn't as if they won't visit or anything.

Still, time really passed by too fast for her liking. There were just so many things Mugi hadn't done, so many words she hadn't said –

"Mugi-chan? The others have already left."

The blonde girl blinked. She must have dozed off, sitting on the couch. She had stayed behind to wait for Sawako-sensei, but it looked like the older woman had waited for her to wake up instead.

Mugi pulled the blanket closer, smiling softly. Sawako-sensei must have put it around her. In spite of her quirkiness, Yamanaka Sawako was really a nice person. She had done many, many things for Houkago Teatime, for its members, and for Mugi herself –

She gathered up all of her courage and looked straight into Sawako's sharp eyes. It was now or never.

"Sawako-sensei…Sawako…san. I-I need to tell you something."

The music teacher only nodded and sat down beside her patiently. Mugi smiled again; the simple gesture was enough to encourage her to continue. She stared ahead, taking in their music room with a sense of nostalgia already.

"I've been waiting to say this for a long time. Now that I'm n-not your student anymore, I just want to say that I really l-like y-"

Mugi trailed off as she felt something soft and warm on her cheek. Face burning, the keyboardist blinked dazedly as Sawako pulled away and took off her glasses.

"Funny, I was going to say something similar to you, Mugi-chan, no matter what your reaction might be. But now I know what you think too," the brunette grinned. "No more worries!"

The blonde girl had been attracted by Sawako's gentle demeanor at first, but as she got to know more about the woman, Sawako's Death Devil persona never failed to make her heart pound either. And now, under Sawako's rather naughty gaze, Mugi felt her knees go weak even though she was sitting down.

This was too good to be real. Did Sawako really like her too-?

As her crush of many years leaned in, Mugi automatically closed her eyes and tilted her head, lips curving as they met in a chaste kiss.

Nope, this was real.

* * *

Mugi sat down in front of the small table, looking around her girlfriend's room in nostalgia. Even though she had been here numerous times already, she always thought about the time when they brought the graduation album over for Sawako to check.

Her smile dimmed as she fiddled with the hem of her sundress, wondering how she should talk to Sawako about the decision she had just made.

Their relationship had continued in secret throughout the entire university life, mainly because Mugi did not want to cause trouble for Sawako and that, somehow, she just couldn't bring herself to tell her friends. She trusted them, yes, but an irrational fear was still there.

Sometimes she envied Ritsu and Mio's closeness, that they were able to see each other every day. Sure they had their fights every now and then, but they had always made up and then grown closer than before. After Azusa had entered their university, Yui had immediately re-attached herself to the girl and remained as oblivious as ever to their respective feelings. Azusa though, seemed content with just being close to Yui and did nothing to push their relationship further.

All Mugi could do was to distract herself in the drama club. As much as they all wanted to, their schedules simply couldn't match and they could only play their music together once awhile. Without the band and unable to see Sawako, Mugi had concentrated on acting. It had been quite fun, really, especially when she did improvs for her girlfriend, who was really impressed with her talent and often made costumes for her and the rest of the club.

Mr. Kotobuki had wanted his daughter to inherit his company, yet after seeing how passionate Mugi was about acting, he had introduced her to some of his associates who actually had connections to the people at Hollywood.

And so this was why Mugi was here now, at Sawako's apartment. The blonde had been offered a chance to enter the movie industry. She was stunned and excited, but at the same time…just what should she do? She and Sawako had been going out for so long now, and it had been a really blissful relationship. Any small arguments they had were always smoothed over in a natural transition akin to a glissando. There may be pitches, but they all glided from one to another flawlessly.

But really, where was their relationship going?

Sawako set down the tea on the table before sitting down beside her. The brunette was gazing at her patiently, as if she knew what Mugi was going to say. The blonde was reminded of the day they had first kissed, but will it go just as well as that time?

Before Mugi could even speak, Sawako reached over and held her hand. "Are you going somewhere, Mugi?"

How did she-?

Sawako winked. "Intuition. Just like how Yui-chan always knows about Azusa-chan's whereabouts, just like how Ricchan always knows how to cheer up Mio-chan, I know that you're uneasy about something, Mugi. The only thing I can think of that would make you feel this way is about us, about how far away we are from each other."

Nodding, Mugi scooted forward and rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder. Sawako only listened as Mugi explained the whole situation to her, of how she was going to Americas after she finished her degree at the university and that she might not be able to come back to Japan for awhile.

"Well, the timing couldn't be better then. I couldn't think of how to bring this up but now I can," Sawako smiled triumphantly and slipped something onto Mugi's finger before she knew it.

A ring.

The brunette's grin grew even wider at Mugi's blinking eyes.

"Now, everyone will know you're taken. I won't have to worry about my Mugi being dazzled by the world of celebrities! And, if anyone dares to... well, famous or not, they'll have their asses kicked!"

Mugi laughed and wiped away the dampness at the corner of her eyes. How she loved this slightly eccentric woman. Why was she even worried in the first place?

Sawako stroked her hair calmly, as if she knew what just went across the blonde's mind. "We're used to dealing with the long distance relationship already, Mugi. Also, only kids would worry about such things. You've long graduated, haven't you?"

Smiling, Mugi slowly took off Sawako's glasses and leaned forward. The brunette closed her eyes and smiled as well, as their lips met in a tender kiss.

"Thank you, Sawako."

"Oh no, don't thank me yet. Since you're going away and all," Sawako's eyes narrowed mischievously, "I need to make sure you'll remember me quite well, hm?"

Mugi knew that she will always be thinking about Sawako. But now, looking at the wild gleam in her girlfriend's eyes, Mugi simply pulled the brunette even closer.

Why not 'review' it?

It was just unfortunate that the tea might get cold, provided if they didn't knock the cups over.

* * *

"Well, say goodbye to Aunt Mugi, Yuki-chan!" Tainaka Satoshi held up his two-year-old daughter, who waved her arms happily at the disguised Hollywood star.

Tainaka Asami, Satoshi's wife, hugged her cousin with a soft smile. "I hope you can visit us soon."

"Of course, Asami-chan, Satoshi-kun, and Yuki-chan."

Mugi left the Tainaka residence after making sure her disguise was impeccable. She still couldn't believe she was an 'aunt' already. Chuckling, Mugi remembered Ritsu's reaction when the chef first found out that her younger brother had become a parent before any of them. Funny how the world worked. Mugi would not have expected Satoshi to meet and marry her distant cousin after all, but things had worked out quite well, hadn't it?

And little Yuki-chan really was quite adorable. While Asami looked nothing like Mugi, Yuki had actually inherited the Kotobuki eyebrows, and the girl's peculiar fondness for teacups often made Ritsu remark that her niece was another Mugi-in-the-making.

…not to mention, Ritsu and Mio had been thinking about adopting.

How cute would that be? Mugi could already picture Ritsu playing with the kids and Mio watching over them with an exasperated but fond smile…

So. Cute.

Also, ever since Yui and Azusa became an official couple (finally), Azusa would visit her girlfriend at the kindergarten and…the kids would be all over the pop star. It was so fun seeing Azusa's amazed look whenever the kids followed their beloved teacher's instructions.

Again. So. Cute.

Nodding to herself, Mugi walked resolutely towards Ton-chan's Beach, Ritsu's restaurant. It had been far too long. Today was a rather are occasion, that both Azusa and herself were actually in Japan. So they had decided to gather together to celebrate their nine-year-anniversary of friendship (eight years for Azusa).

Mugi had talked to Sawako not too long ago, saying that she will finally tell her friends about their relationship. Sawako had only offered to go with her, but Mugi was determined to do this by herself. Sawako had never rushed her to tell everyone about their secret; she had respected Mugi's decision and the blonde was infinitely grateful for that.

_"Pff, you tolerate all us back during the high school years, and you still do. Heck, I should be the one grateful, Mugi!"_

And that was the end of their 'argument'.

Now, looking back, Mugi didn't even remember why she even hid this from her friends anymore. As time went on, the easier it was to hide and the less the motivation to tell.

No, today would be the day. She will try her best.

During her time in Hollywood, Mugi had always worn the ring on her necklace. And strangely, other than being occasionally hit-on by some of the bolder ones, most people seemed to know she was 'taken'. There was no tabloid news about her love life. Sure, rumors were there, but they all faded away after a few weeks and people just forgot about them altogether. Maybe her father had something to do with it…? Either way, Mugi was grateful for all the miracles that happened in her life, of her meeting such wonderful friends, of meeting the person she loved more than anything. No need to question such miracles.

"Yo, Mugi! Come on come on, everyone's already here!" Ritsu stood right outside of her restaurant in her chef's hat, waving her spatula excitedly. Mio quickly slapped a hand over her wife's mouth; the shout had already attracted some passerby's attention. Good thing the blonde was known as 'Tsumugi' to the world. Only her friends referred to her as 'Mugi' after all.

"Come on, I'm starving! Azusa's stomach is already growling!" Yui popped her head from the door, only to be dragged in by a red-faced Azusa.

Mugi only laughed and greeted her long-time friends. And, as usual, she simply sat there sipping her tea and listened to their chats. How nostalgic. Even after Ricchan and Mio-chan were married, even after Yui finally realized her feelings for Azusa, everything was still the same, wasn't it? Mugi had deliberately worn the ring on her fourth finger, but no one seemed to have noticed. She didn't know whether she should be glad or not.

Maybe she should just tell them another day? It would be rather hard to interrupt them –

"Ne ne, Mugi-chan, when's the wedding?"

Eh?

Yui only smiled. "You need to tell me soon, so I can decide what kind of cake to bring to your wedding!"

Mugi blinked.

"Yui, wedding cakes are specially ordered you know. Besides, even then, you'll just make Ui bake it anyways even though she's so busy," Azusa rolled her eyes and nudged her girlfriend.

"Yui's right, Mugi! Don't hold off the wedding too long! Heh, Sawa-chan's not getting any younger~"

"RITSU! Don't be so tactless!" Mio smacked her wife lightly before turning and smiling encouragingly at the dumbfounded blonde. "Just ignore Yui and the baka. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."

"H-how do you know…?"

"We're friends, duh!" Ritsu held out her thumb and wrapped an arm around her wife.

"And that includes Sawa-chan, Mugi-chan!" Yui, as if not wanting to 'lose', also wrapped her arms around Azusa and rested her chin on the shorter girl's head.

"Mugi-sen…I mean, Mugi, we've actually known for awhile," the ever so calm Azusa spoke in a wise tone, unaffected by the extra weight on her back.

"Even back in the university, we've always known the person you were texting and talking to was Sawako," Mio leaned against her wife, still smiling.

"I mean, come on, you always bring sooooo many of Sawa-chan's costumes to your club, Mugi."

"Yea yea, Captain! I remember the time you did a perfect imitation of Sawa-chan's scary glare thing…it was so good!"

"Heh, I remember that! Mio-chuan even got scared-"

"No I didn't!"

Mugi could only stare at her friends, still shocked, as they bantered back and forth. All this time…she had been worried for nothing? Of course. She should have known. They were her friends. They would not judge her.

"S-so, what do you think-"

"Shotgun maid of honor!" Yui lunged for Mugi, gathering her in a bear hug.

"Wha- that's not fair, Yui!" Ritsu also dove for them, almost knocking them over.

Mio and Azusa shared amused looks and also joined the group hug…or rather, group tackle. Mugi laughed, careless of the tears dripping down her cheeks. She felt so blessed to have friends like them.

"Arigatou, everyone!"

Her friends smiled and hugged her even tighter.

"Thanks to you too, for everything you've done for us!"

Winter and without heaters.

Yet it was very warm.

* * *

**A/N:** Not much on Sawako's thoughts...but you don't really need to list out one's qualities to like someone :3 feeling over logic

Hope you've enjoyed it...?

Fermata – indefinitely sustained note. Well, isn't it? xD

Arigatou ありがとう– no explanation necessary~

Tainaka Asami – I know I usually don't use OCs but… Anyways, as said, she is Satoshi's wife and Mugi's distant cousin.

Tainaka Yuki – Satoshi's daughter, so she's Ritsu's niece, and so, Satomi and Youko's cousins. Their functions in this AUverse should be obvious enough... :3

So we're done with the do re mi's… what could be next? Two more entries to go - ! Σ(;゜□゜)yヾ(Eh?) Well, hopefully the next one would get done before/by Xmas


	9. Al fine, Houkago Teatime

**A/N:** Thanks for your supports and (belated) Merry Xmas! It's supposed to be up earlier ...r(・x・。)

We finally arrived at an entry that sustains this series' summary ((゜―゜*)((。_。*) Some crackish elements still broke through. I can't help it. I'm sugar high. So if it's crappy, I blame the sugar!

So, chronologically, this happens after all the other entries, meaning, this **is the most recent**.

Riozaki-san drew an adorable fanart for the twins (*´ω｀*) img40(dot)imageshack(dot)us/img40/5598/alwaysbyriozaki218d32w8(dot)jpg

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on

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**Marcato 9 – Houkago Teatime**

_Everyone_

_And Yui_

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"MERRY XMAS!"

"Merry Xmas!"

Tainaka Ritsu's eyes snapped open and was about to dodge to the side when she found herself locked into place by her wife's powerful grip.

Resigned to her fate, Ritsu could only brace herself as two human missiles dove for her –

"OW! What the heck are you carrying, SATOMI!"

Ritsu rubbed her eyes and blinked at the sight of her daughter wearing…a Santa costume too big for her, and carrying a very heavy bag that was protruding at odd places.

"THANKS FOR THE PRESENT!" The black-haired girl hugged her mom's neck, almost choking her in the process.

Present? What present… she and Mio bought her quite a lot of presents …wait, Satomi had dragged the entire set of boxes and jumped on her?

Ritsu could feel the bruises already.

She glanced to her side and, of course, Mio was still blissfully asleep in spite of all that racket. And Youko seemed to have used up all her energy and was now dozing off in the space between Mio and Ritsu. The girl was wearing such a cute, sleepy expression as she snuggled against one of her presents, a huge bunny.

The amber-eyed woman would tug the girl beneath the blanket if there wasn't a chibi Santa attached to her neck.

"Ok ok, I get that I'm awesome but Sacchan can you…"

Ritsu's jaw dropped when the girl's calm, even breaths answered her. Satomi had fallen asleep clinging to her neck, with the weight of many, many toys etc. on top of her.

It was Christmas, and Tainaka Ritsu already felt warm being surrounded by her family.

…scratch that. She was being smothered alive.

She swore her wife was stubbornly refusing to wake up and help her.

Oh well, it was only a few hours before they really had to wake up. Maybe she can survive til then.

* * *

"Merryyyyyyyyyyyyy Xmas!"

"MEOW!"

Nakano Azusa curled into a ball, hand automatically reaching out for her fiancee…huh? Empty space?

Then a warm tongue licked her nose. Azusa mumbled and tried to brush her kitten away, "Stop it, Ai-chan…"

Pause.

"Stop it, Yui!"

"Awww I got found out, Ai-chan."

"Mew…"

Growling in annoyance, Azusa opened her eyes to find… a reindeer?

Yui smiled at her goofily, looking even more ridiculous with that fake red bulb-nose and fake antlers on her head. Their kitten had paper antlers clipped behind its ears. Ai seemed quite content wearing those things, blinking at her 'mommy' as if waiting for an approval.

"Azusa Azusa come on you need to dress up too! We can be a family of reindeers, ready to bring presents to the kids around the world!"

"Nya!"

Azusa only groaned and dove back under the covers.

It was too early to wake up.

* * *

Sawako glared at the cellphone that had been vibrating nonstop the entire night. Not only did it interrupt her dream, it also prevented her from going back to sleep. And for some reason, Mugi just couldn't turn the phone into silence mode.

The Hollywood star had been receiving Merry Xmas texts from many, many, _many_ colleagues, associates etc.

And the blonde in question was deep asleep under the warm covers.

Sawako sighed. Well, she wasn't against cuddling. It was quite comfortable, really, since Mugi was really warm.

But they needed to wake up and get ready for the alumna reunion soon.

Why was it on Xmas of all the days? Would anyone even show up?

Well, Sawako trusted the former student council president in her judgment.

* * *

"You used to perform here? That's so COOL!" Satomi's eyes lit up as she looked around the stage of the auditorium. Youko was also staring at the instruments in awe, especially at the drum set sitting at the back.

Ritsu grinned and launched into story mode, telling the twins about their glorious stories in Sakuragaoka. The auditorium looked a lot newer than they remembered, since there must have been renovations, and that there was a huge screen above the stage.

But the same feeling was still present. This was no doubt the high school they once attended.

Mio only smiled and greeted their former teacher. "Sorry we're a bit late. Ritsu was complaining about sore muscles and would not move."

"Oh? Sore muscles? Mio-chan wears the pants in the Tainaka household hm?" Sawako smiled mischievously.

"What? No! S-Satomi and Youko-" Mio tried to explain the whole story but was interrupted by Ritsu.

"Yes yes, Sawa-chan, Mio is really violent-"_ left hook_ "SEE WHAT I MEAN?"

"Ne ne Youko-chan, what's the tally right now?"

"I think it's 1225:0, Mama is leading by far."

"Oh you two are just so cute! Do continue counting, please." Mugi patted their heads. Mio looked shocked. "You too, Mugi?"

"YA-HO~" "Meow~"

"IT'S YUI-CHAN!" "Yui-sensei!"

Just like that, the twins glued themselves to the laughing brunette and hugged the very happy kitten too.

Ritsu wrapped an arm around a bemused Azusa. "Geez, Nakano, what's with the things on your head?"

"…"

"I think it's very cute, Azusa-chan," Mugi played with the fake antlers on Azusa's head, smiling softly. Mio seemed very taken with Ai-the-Reindeer as well. Azusa sighed, but she was smiling as well.

"Are you all ready then?"

"Nodoka-chan!"

Yui flew to her childhood friend to give her a huge hug. Manabe Nodoka greeted them and then told them that the seats were actually full.

"Woah! Didn't expect so many people to show up! This is great! We're gonna show them how amazing Houkago Teatime is even after ten years!" The leader of the band folded her arms dramatically, causing the twins to gaze at their mom in awe.

"Ok, Nodoka-chan! I'm leaving Ai-chan in your care!" Yui saluted and gently deposited the kitten in the woman's arms. "Remember to say hi to Auntie Ui, Ai-chan!"

"And I'll watch over Sacchan and Youko-chan. Good luck!" Sawako held up her thumb as the twins followed her and chatted to the woman easily.

"Yay we're gonna watch them perform! This is going to be so awesome!"

"Mama and Yui-sensei will be singing too!"

The five members of Houkago Teatime exchanged looks, nodding and smiling.

"You can raise the curtains now, Nodoka!" Ritsu twirled her drumsticks and sat down in her seat.

After ten years, Houkago Teatime will finally make their appearance once again, in the auditorium of Sakuragaoka.

* * *

"Hello, everyone! How is Xmas so far?"

The crowd answered her resoundingly. Yui took in the sight of her high school classmates and smiled proudly. She could recognize many faces, even after so many years: Tachibana Himeko, Satou Akane, Taki Eri, Nojima Chika, Matsumoto Mifuyu, Nakajima Nobuyo, Wakaouji Ichigo, Saeki Mika, Sasaki Youko, Shima Chizuru, Kinoshita Shizuka… wait, everyone was here!

Just how? Yui was amazed. Then again, this was Nodoka-chan! Nothing will go wrong once a matter was entrusted in the lawyer's hands!

"We're gonna start off with Fuwa Fuwa time! That should bring back all the memories right?"

Excited whispers only made Yui grin even more. Well, they could be talking about those fake antlers on her head (and Azusa's) but it didn't matter! It was Xmas after all!

She still played and took great care of Gitah throughout the years, but it just wasn't the same – performing on a stage, with her band, was just a completely different feeling. As her fingers flew over the fretboard nostalgically, Yui just let her instinct took over.

Mio's voice still rang through the auditorium beautifully. Sure, it sounded more mature, more maternal, but it was still the shy yet confident voice of the same girl who first sang the first song of their band.

Ritsu's beats were still rushed and so full of energy; her drumming was just so Ricchan that the rest of them had no trouble keeping up with her. The leader of the band was still leading them and always will.

Mugi's keys were still filling up and smoothing any kinks they had until the whole melody sounded as smooth as it could be. Their ojou-sama was still supporting them with her unwavering patience and love for music and the band.

Azusa was just as skillful as ever, making Yui smile as she sneaked glances at her fiancée. Yui had always admired her for the way she played her guitar – resolute and well-balanced, just like the cat-like guitarist.

And Yui herself? With Gitah, she was just being Yui, and she always will be Yui, won't she?

After the first song of their band ended with zest, the crowd broke into thunderous applause.

"You guys are still awesome!"

"Go, Houkago Teatime!"

Waving her arms cheerfully, Yui yelled into the microphone. "THANKS! Let me introduce our band members once again! Our leader, Tainakaaaaaa Riiiiiiiiiiiitsuuuuuuu!"

The drummer grinned and simply hit the cymbals as the crowd called out her name.

_"Heard you're a chef now, buchou!"_

_"That's so cool!"_

_"I've gone to their restaurant! You cook yummy hamburgers, buchou!"_

Ritsu scratched the back of her head, pleased and flustered at the same time.

"And then our bassist, Tainakaaaaaaaaa Miiiiiiiiooooo!"

_"I've read your novel! It's like the best slice-of-life story ever!"_

_"Can you sign it for us later?"_

_"When's the next one going to come out?"  
_

Mio blushed but smiled, earning several squeals from the audience. It seemed that some were still fangirls at heart even after so long.

_"YEA MOM AND MAMA ARE THE BEST!"_

_"The best!"_

"That's Sacchan and Youko-chan, their daughters! Say hi to everyone!"

The black-haired girl jumped up and down while the tawny-haired girl peeked from behind her twin's shoulder, making the crowd coo and exclaim how adorable they were.

"Aaaaaand our keyboardist and Hollywood star, Kotobuki Mugi-chaaaaaaaan!"

Already several people were holding up sign boards already; some even took out banners and movie posters where the blonde looked all mysterious behind her sunglasses.

_"Mugi! Mugi! Mugi!"_

"A word for your fans, Mugi-chan!" Yui skidded to the keyboardist's side. The audience quickly hushed; everyone's attention was on the famous actress and wondering what she would say.

Mugi cleared her throat and her hand shot out, pointing into the audience. With a cool expression, she spoke calmly, "Anata ga hannin dattan desu ne. (you were the criminal weren't you.)"

Collective gasps of awe. Mugi only smiled and waved her girlfriend, who cheered the loudest.

"Neeeeext! Our rhythm guitarist and pop star Hirasawaaaaa Azusaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Y-Yui! W-we haven't married yet!" Azusa whispered, blushing in embarrassment at the whistles and applause from the audience.

"Ehehehe I can't help it! Oh, and there's our daughter Ai-chan!"

Ui held up the kitten similar to that infamous scene in Lion King. Azusa buried her face in her palm as the crowd went 'awwwww'. Ai-the-Reindeer only flicked its antler-ear and blinked curiously.

_"Can we get a picture with you next and could you sign it?"_

_"I want to get a picture of you guys! So cute, reindeer family!"_

Yui hugged her fiancée and held up a peace sign, increasing the commotion even more so.

"And I'm just a simple kindergarten teacher and the lead guitarist, Hirasawa Yui!"

The brunette seemed taken aback by the volume of the cheers. Her bandmates smiled at her, making her rub her head in embarrassment.

"Thank you everyone! We're really glad that everybody could make it to class 3-2's reunion Xmas party! Thanks to Nodoka-chan for organizing this whole thing! Thanks to Sawa-chan for setting up everything! Thank you, Ui! Thank you Gitah! Thank you, everyone! Houkago Teatime will always…always be…after school!"

Confused silence.

Blinking, Yui turned to look at Ritsu questioningly. "Why did it sound like déjà vu?"

Ritsu also looked thoughtful, "Yea, where have I heard it before…hey, you're the speaker! Don't ask me!"

"Ehehe, I don't know, I just feel like saying it…"

"Yui."

Nodoka left her seat and clicked on a remote. The band's performance at the unforgettable cultural festival was projected on the huge screen, guiding them down the memory lane.

Hirasawa Yui smiled at the old Yui, who was singing her heart out without a care in the world. Her smile widened; well, she still sang her heart out without a care in the world, didn't she?

_"Houkago Teatime will always…always be after school!"_

Eh?

"Oooh, you said the exact same thing back then too, Yui."

Yui fidgeted nervously, "Ahahaha, I think I said it on a spur of moment too…"

"Nah, Yui, now that I really think about it, it actually makes sense. Heh, sure I don't really get what you mean back then…I mean, I don't think any of us did," Ritsu glanced at their band mates, who all nodded, "but now we understand what you mean."

"You were the one who suggested we write a song for this occasion," Mio added, "and you came up with the title too."

"When we finish this song, we'll chat like always! I brought cakes and tea," Mugi clasped her hands together.

"Really?" All that uncertainty disappeared from Yui's eyes.

Azusa shook her head. "Mou, are snacks all you ever think of?"

"I think of you too, Azusa~"

"Geez look at them all lovey-dovey. Gimme a kiss, Mio!"

"B-baka!"

The crowd laughed at their comedic bantering, and the band soon joined in as well.

Smiling at each other, the members of Houkago Teatime readied their stance. They had written a song, ten years after their last one and somehow, everything still came together naturally. Between their tight schedules, they weren't able to practice as much together. They all had to practice individually, in pairs, but not together.

But the strength of their unity came through as always. After hearing Yui's cryptic yet truthful words again, they now truly understood the lyrics they had written together.

"Please listen to our song – Houkago Teatime!"

_Maybe there are days when we aim for the wrong sky, but even if we're apart, we're not alone  
If you listen closely, you'll be able to hear our eternal performance_

_After school is Tea Time, our serious Chat Time  
The most precious thing in my life was when we met by chance  
After school is Tea Time, our most powerful Break Time  
Since we're together, courage is born inside us  
Forever after school, forever tea time  
Let's resound one thing across the world -  
Our neverending song_

Being in a band, with her friends, was really, really awesome, wasn't it? Their songs will always, always ring in their hearts, connecting the past and the future together.

* * *

As Ui watched her sister on stage, she couldn't help but smile. She leaned against Nodoka, who only smiled softly. They were both gazing at the brunette who was so dear to them. Sometimes, proclamations of love weren't necessary. Why say it when you could just feel it?

Even though after so many things had happened, all wonderful changes, they were still the same girls who once went to Sakuragoka and made lasting bonds with their precious people.

Ui chuckled as little Satomi pulled at Jun's hand, asking for more manga to read while Youko just stood behind her twin shyly. Ai mewed and rubbed its head against Ui's hand, asking for more caresses. Yes, everyone was here, and their family would only grow larger and merrier.

Ritsu must be teasing her wife again, since Mio got red-faced and tried to punch the other woman. Azusa was helping Mugi set up the tea and cakes, as their classmates gathered around them and brought their own food too.

Where's Onee-chan?

"Ui~"

Blinking rapidly, Ui stared at the cotton-like fluff in her sister's hand. Yui smiled happily, "I couldn't give you a white Christmas this year, but look! Someone made cotton candies! Merry Xmas~"

Ui couldn't help but laugh. At least, it wasn't pillow stuffing this time.

"Merry Xmas, Onee-chan!"

"Come on, let's have our afterschool tea…even though it's not really school," Yui chuckled sheepishly, pulling her sister and her childhood friend to the table.

Ritsu grinned and slung an arm around the brunette. "What are you talking about, Yui? You said it yourself! It will always be afterschool!"

"Oh yea, Captain!"

She held up a tea cup high into the air.

"Houkago Teatime!"

Everyone held up their own cups too.

"Always!"

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**A/N:** Once again, (^∇^*)ノ⌒ -= -= *Merry X'mas* (belated...)

Houkago Teatime放課後ティータイム - … well, I don't need to translate 'teatime' xD I love this song to bits and it should totally be the OP for the movie…wait, no, make a new song! XD

Marcato – '^' the little hat. The indicated note is played stronger and louder than any other surrounding notes; in other words, it stands out from the crowd! 8D

Technically this is the 'last' entry of this series. Sort of, since the next one is like an epilogue thingy …guess what the entry indicator is XD


	10. Da Capo, Zutto ne

**A/N:** Thank you all for your supports! Happy New Bunny Year!

Yes, this is the last entry … (;ω; ) ok, I'm running off now so I can go cry. ・・・・( ┯_┯)

OCs warning, I guess.

Disclaimer: I don't own K-on

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**Sforzando 10 – Zutto ne  
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_?x?_

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A girl with amber eyes got off a silver van, waving at her parents gracefully before entering the school grounds. She ran her fingers through her side ponytail, half-exasperated at how curly those dark brown strands were.

She quickened her steps towards the music room, even though she knew she got here on time. Her band had decided to meet in school early, possibly to discuss how their performance at the freshmen orientation went yesterday. She nodded to herself determinedly – today, their fifth member will show up for sure!

"Yuuuuukkkkiiiiiiii-chan!"

Tainaka Yuki smiled to herself as familiar arms wrapped around her shoulders, giving her a huge hug. "Good morning, Kana-chan."

Hirasawa Kana rubbed her head against the taller girl's before pulling away, blinking sleepily. "I wonder why Buchou wants us to meet so early today… what are we gonna talk about?"

Yuki patted the girl's head maternally, "About our performance yesterday, of course. Also, Sacchan said she found something that she wants us to see."

Kana pouted, but she followed Yuki obediently. "Sacchan should just be the buchou, since she's the one who comes up with all the plans anyways."

"But Sacchan doesn't want to, remember? That's why Youko-chan became the buchou instead."

Kana didn't reply. Yuki glanced at her friend, only to find the black-haired girl staring into space with a dazed smile, possibly thinking about cakes and other desserts. Kana really acted like her adopted mother, didn't she? Not to mention, Kana tended to behave like their wise family cat Ai, always looking for a place to snuggle or nap…like now.

"Yea…we need Youko-chan to keep our club going…" Kana mumbled, clinging to Yuki's arm and resting her head against the taller girl's shoulder.

Really, it was hard to imagine this daydreamer was their band's guitarist. Well, both of Kana's mothers were guitarists after all. Yuki thought about her father's suggestion of her becoming a drummer…well, that was her aunt and her cousin's position. Yuki was quite content at being the band's keyboardist; it was her dream to become just as skilled and refined as her distant relative Tsumugi.

"Kana, Yuki! There you are!"

Tainaka Satomi burst out of the music room, grabbed their hands and dragged them in.

"Guess what Youko and I found!"

Their bassist slash vocalist cheerfully directed them to their seats, her bright green eyes twinkling. Kana immediately slumped down on the desk, dozing. Yuki smiled at her cousin, who took off her trademark yellow headband and brushed her short hair messily before putting it back on.

"Youko! They're here!"

Their band's infamous drummer slash club president walked out of the storage room, holding a cardboard box. Tainaka Youko was the idol of Sakuragaoka, popular enough to warrant a huge fanclub. Youko, though, became famous due to her impressive drumming techniques – the normally shy girl always became a completely different person whenever she was on the drum set, earning admiration from countless girls.

Of course, her protective twin usually fended off all those confession letters.

And Satomi herself had her own fanbase too – charismatic and always eager to help, the friendly black-haired girl often had to be dragged away from her fans by her highly irritated twin.

Like mothers, like daughters?

Putting down the box, Youko wiped her brow, her long jagged ponytail swishing behind her. "Satomi and I were clearing out the storage room yesterday when we found this."

"This belonged to our predecessors! Or rather, this belonged to our parents and relatives!" Satomi pulled out the items from the box, grinning.

Yuki watched on, curious, and even Kana forced herself from her light nap to look at her friends.

"See, 'Houkago Teatime'… this was made by them!" Satomi held up a pink cassette, waving it excitedly, "Youko and I have already listened to it and, man, it's awesome! I knew our mothers were good but still!"

Youko also had a proud smile. "Here, listen."

The club president had found an antique-looking machine buried under a pile of…strange costumes. She put the cassette in carefully.

Kana and Yuki sat there, mesmerized by how powerful the songs sounded even after so many years. The players' joy at playing music, and the fact that music was playing with them too…

"See what I mean? We need to try harder to be just like them, people!" Satomi held up her fist, her sharp green eyes burning with flames. "But geez, Mom sure likes to joke…"

"_Hurry, hurry!"_

"_Yessir!"_

"_One, two...decopin~"_

_Muffled, shaky giggles._

"_Decopin-pin~"_

_Laughter everywhere._

"YES! Be proud of your forehead!" Satomi held up her thumb.

"You're too loud, baka," Youko rolled her eyes and took out the cassette before her twin launched into a long rant.

"Oh there's another tape," Yuki pointed to an even older cassette. Blinking, Satomi put it in the player, muttering she had not listened to that one yet.

None of them were prepared for the hoarse roar.

"_I've been waiting for you…DIIIIIIIIIIEEE!"_

Silence.

Well, except for Youko's hitched whispers.

"I didn't hear anything I didn't hear anything I didn't hear anything-"

Kana just blinked. "Nya?"

"Holy- what the hell was _that_!" Satomi gasped, trying to loosen her twin's death choke around her neck.

"Um, I think that's… Sawako-sensei? Our principle?" Yuki ventured a guess, trying to relate that metal scream to the affable bespectacled woman.

"Ok ok ok it's nothing, so just let go of me, you're going to kill your precious sister!" Satomi groaned, finally pulling her twin off her. "Scaredy-cat."

With an indignant huff, their highly-esteemed buchou folded her arms and ignored her twin. Youko then held up a slightly faded photograph in attempts to change the topic, "Look, they were still teenagers in this picture, like us."

Yuki recognized the twins' mothers right away…or rather, her aunt's forehead at the corner of the picture. She also spotted her relative Tsumugi, her aunt Mio and –

"Hey, why's Mother's picture taped on the top?" Kana blinked quizzically, pointing at the headshot of a pigtailed girl on the top corner of the photo, "Wow, she really didn't change much over the years… hehe, Mum had her signature smile even back then."

True, Hirasawa Yui was smiling cheerfully at the camera – a smile that was much like Kana's own as she gazed at the picture happily.

"Well, duh, Kana, Azu nee-chan didn't join the band until a year later," Satomi sighed wistfully, "Our band's awesome and all, but I want it to be like them! Just where is our fifth member! We need another guitarist!"

"Maa maa, our performance went really well yesterday so someone is bound to show up after school today," Yuki patted her cousin's shoulder.

"Ne, Sacchan Sacchan, here's something else…Yuki-chan, your relative's name is written on it," Kana pulled out yet another cassette from the box. Indeed, small letters of "Mugi's Record of Club Activity" was written on it.

Though wary that they might hear something weird again, curiosity still won out. Needless to say, they almost fell out of their seats when a loud voice came out.

_"MIO!"_

_"W-what is it, baka!"_

_"Mio, go out with me."_

_"…huh?"_

_"Er…I-I've liked you for a long time, Mio, and I don't just mean as a friend! I-I've been wondering about this for a long time now and…heheh…I really really like you-"_

_"…Ritsu…"_

_"…i-it's ok, you don't have to answer me… I just thought you should know. I-I really hope nothing changes between us and-"_

_"Baka!"_

_"Mi-?"_

_Then a different, dazed voice spoke up as if in narration. "Then Mio-chan kisses Ricchan and they live happily ever after."_

_"Yeeeesss! Finally! I've been waiting for this for ages! Go, Captain!"_

_"Yui-senpai! You're too loud!" An irritated voice hissed._

_"Ah, I think they saw us. Shall we run for it, Yui-chan? Azusa-chan?"_

_"Let's run, Azunyan!"_

The recording stopped there.

Satomi, Youko, Yuki and Kana blinked at the tape, and then they blinked at each other.

"…I have a newfound respect for your mothers now, Sacchan, Youko-chan," Kana finally broke the silence, her brown eyes starry.

The twins exchanged looks. They really did not know what to say.

"Alright, let's go off to class now," Youko stood up, walking out of the room hurriedly. Satomi quickly followed her sister, laughing.

"So Mom really was the one who asked Mother out! You owe me 10 bucks now, Youko-chuan~"

"Hnnff!"

Yuki glanced at the still dazed-looking Kana. "Shall we go then, Kana-chan?"

That snapped the girl out of her trance. "Yuki-chan!"

"H-hai?" Yuki was taken aback by her friend's suddenly serious tone.

"Go out with me!"

"…pardon?"

* * *

Tainaka Satomi sighed deeply, gulping down the tea before slumping onto the desk.

Why, just why couldn't they get their fifth member? She wanted their band to just be like the legendary Houkago Teatime – drummer, bassist, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist and lead guitarist. That was why she named their band HTT(II) after all!

Yet it had been a year already since they entered Sakuragaoka high school. Yesterday's performance at the freshmen's orientation should have attracted enough of people's attention… all of their parents came to watch and said it was great!

But nooo, everyone would just stare at them faraway. Sure, she enjoyed all those adoring looks (because she's awesome like that, yea!) but come on! With her and Youko's fanclub combined, there SHOULD be someone who would want to join the club, right? Ugh!

She ran her hand through her short, flat bangs, ditching the yellow headband entirely. She was so frustrated!

"Calm down, Satomi, someone's bound to come here," Youko folded her arms, her feet tapping to some silent rhythms. The black-haired girl scooted away from her twin, slightly scared.

Youko may appear calm, but once aggravated, she could be scarier than Mother. Satomi had watched Mom get clobbered one too many times to know when to stop. Hopefully.

Sighing at her twin's behavior, Youko twirled one of those jagged strands, "it hadn't even been after school for a few minutes, we still have chance."

Strangely reassured, Satomi relaxed and took a bite out of the cookies generously prepared by Yuki. Really, Youko was perfect to be the club president – she was mature, responsible and cool. And whenever Youko had her shy moments, it was Satomi's job to back her sister up. Otherwise, Satomi was quite content at staying on the sidelines.

Being the club prez sounded like a lot of work, after hearing numerous stories from Mom… people would get mad at you if you didn't hand in the forms or something… Bah! That sounded like on heck of a headache already, those forms…pffff.

Satomi then turned to observe her cousin, who was sitting on the couch and stroking Kana's shoulder-length black hair like one would do to a cat. Really, Yuki spoiled that nap-aholic cat-like girl waayy too much!

Yuki had grown up with Satomi and Youko, so they were practically sisters. The girl with the Kotobuki eyebrows was dubbed the mother of their group – even Youko had her childish moments. Yuki was calmest of the calm, never panicking and always patient.

As shown by her tolerance level for Hirasawa Kana.

Kana was like a prank buddy to Satomi, but sometimes, that girl was really exasperating. Kana will nap anywhere, and her favorite spot was Yuki's lap. According to Mom, Kana was adopted by Yui-chan and Azu nee-chan when her guardian had passed away. Her guardian had been someone called 'Tonari no Baachan'… someone who was Yui-chan's neighbor?

It had taken awhile for Kana to adjust to her new home, but thanks to the efforts of the friendly Hirasawa family cat Ai-chan, Kana gradually grew to love her adopted mothers… and her guitar. God, Kana was totally obsessed about her guitar – it was the only time the laidback girl would be hard-working. Put the guitar in her hands and she will practice all day and do all those rhythm and finger-stretching exercises… kind of like Azu nee-chan, in a way. Well, one had to actually put the guitar in that girl's hands though… otherwise she'd just roll around on the floor…like Ai-chan.

Satomi rolled her eyes. What was she doing, analyzing her friend? The reason why Kana annoyed her to no end was because the girl always either went off in her own little world or was always glued to Yuki. Satomi knew about Kana's crush on Yuki for ages but sadly, her cousin was completely oblivious to all that.

It was quite frustrating to watch Kana's attempts to win Yuki's affections. Ugh. Seriously, confess to her already!

"I did, Sacchan~" Kana mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Satomi blinked. Did she speak her thoughts aloud again?

Wait, what did Kana just say?

"YOU WHAT?"

Smiling dazedly, Kana snuggled against Yuki, who patted her head. "Yup~ Thanks to that tape from earlier, I finally did it! Yuki-chan and I are together now~"

Satomi glanced at her twin and, as expected, she was also gaping at their cousin.

"Er, so, Yuki…you said yes?"

"Uh-huh. Kana-chan is a wonderful girl, Sacchan. I don't see why not."

Faced with two fuwa fuwa smiles, Satomi could slap a hand to her face.

"Ok ok, whatever-" Youko nudged her sharply, "I mean, congrats, you two. Er, Yuki, just don't spoil Kana any more than you already do, ok? She can't just lie around all day." Satomi's own diligent practice schedule was engraved into her mind by Mother long ago.

"Aw, come on, it's three against one here, you Tainakas! I'm like, the only odd one here, Yuki-chaaaaan~" Kana rubbed her head against her…girlfriend's arm with a comedic pout on her face.

Ugh. Kana was right. She was the only one whose last name was not Tainaka. Damn, Kana may be like a cat but she will probably be the S in her relationship with her cousin so the Tainaka-dominating regime will end! Noooo-

A flick to her forehead snapped her out of her thoughts. "You're thinking something funny again, aren't you?" Youko raised an eyebrow at her twin.

Satomi scratched the back of her head. "Ehehe, nope, not at all." Dang, her twin was so much cuter before when they were young. She still remembered how Youko used to call her 'Onee-chan' when they were just kids… sigh, time was cruel.

Or not. Satomi poked her twin's sides, earning a cute little squeak. Nope, Youko-chuan was still cute~

THUD.

Yup, even with her violent tendency, her ticklish twin was still just as adorable as ever~

"Ano," an unfamiliar head poked into the clubroom, "I smell something good in here…"

The girl was a freshman, judging by the color of her ribbon. She had brown hair done in a French braid, and one of her side bangs was tied in a braid too. There was a camera that hung from the strap around her neck… a Photography club member?

"You're welcome to join us," Yuki smiled at the newcomer gently, earning a cheer from the girl.

"Yay! I was really hungry! I was looking for the photography club but I got lost, hehe."

Just like that, the girl sat down at the table and started munching on the cookies. Youko and Satomi exchanged looks. This person hadn't joined any clubs! So maybe…easy prey?

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Ah gomen gomen. My name is Toyosaki Sakura, nice to meet you!"

The girl had a nice smile, Satomi supposed. She also seemed friendly enough.

"I'm Tainaka Satomi, and this is my twin Youko. The girl on the couch is our cousin Yuki and the one who's …asleep is Hirasawa Kana."

"Oh, I know! I saw you guys yesterday on stage! You were really awesome!"

"Ya think so? Well, why don't you join our club then!" Satomi quickly cut to the chase, gazing at her expectantly.

"Are you guys going to have food here every day?"

"Yes, that is why our band is named Houkago Teatime," Yuki smiled again.

"Ok! I'll join! Ah, but I don't know how to play any instruments though…"

"It's ok, we can teach you," Satomi quickly reassured her, hardly believing their luck, "even though she might not look it, Kana is a really good guitarist. You can learn from her."

Sakura nodded happily."Ok!" It was as if she could fit in anywhere.

Satomi cheered and hugged the junior. Looked like they finally found their fifth member!

"Hey, let's take a picture, to celebrate this! The day I've finally joined a club!"

She pulled Satomi to the couch, asking her to sit down. Kana looked up from Yuki's lap, still half-asleep. Youko sat down between her cousin and her twin. She had a shy but pleased smile on her face.

Satomi grinned and slung an arm around her sister while putting up a peace sign.

"We're ready, Sakura!"

"One, two, three!"

Patting her camera, Sakura smiled at her senpais, "Hehe, I think I got cut out of the picture…wait, I think I got my head in… oh well!"

"Geez, you're pretty easy going, aren't you?" The four of them sat on the couch, observing their newest member taking random pictures of the club room. Satomi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. So she and Youko would be the only non-airheads in this band huh.

"I mean, you joined us pretty easily even though you obviously love photography, just because we said we have food or desserts."

"Of course I want to join you guys," Sakura smiled at them and spoke as if it were the most logical thing in the world, "I mean, why not? There will always be teatime after school!"

* * *

"...and that's what happened today," Satomi munched on the burgers."Tha ki' is zust 'o-"

Youko rolled her eyes and flicked her twin's forehead, "Don't speak with your mouth full, baka."

"Ow! Mom~ Youko-chuan's abusing me again."

"Am not!"

The amber-eyed woman laughed, "Sounds like a fun band, Houkago Teatime (II). As expected of my daughters! Although, I can't believe you found Mugi's 'records'."

The black-haired woman took off her reading glasses and went to help her wife put away the dishes."I thought Yui has the rest of them...then again, I don't think Azusa would let her keep those tapes."

Seeing what her mothers were doing, Youko quickly got up from the chair, volunteering to wash the dishes. Satomi gulped down her dinner at once and followed her sister. Mio and Ritsu both stood back and simply watched their daughters banter back and forth. The couple was filled with indescribable warmth just from being with their family.

"Everyday will continue to be like this, won't it?" Tainaka Mio smiled and weaved her fingers through her wife's. "Zutto, ne?"

"Of course!" Tainaka Ritsu grinned, leaning on her wife's shoulder. "Always!"

* * *

**A/N:** …we started with Mitsu and ended with Mitsu? *gets very emotional* So, the first ever finished story/drabble series… *hyperventilate*

Zutto ne ずっとね– 'always' … omg the series' title XD

Sforzando – a forced, rather abrupt and strong accent on a single chord. Isn't it? XD

So this is sort of an epilogue…or a new beginning XD (hence 'da capo')

Oh, if anyone's interested: Houkago Teatime (II):

Tainaka Satomi 田井中聡美– vocalist and bassist. She often acts like the leader but when her sister suggests something, she will listen, especially under the threat of her iron fist.

Tainaka Youko 田井中陽子–drummer and the president. She is quiet, but she also has a stubborn streak similar to her sister's – it often manifests when she wrote the lyrics for their songs.

Tainaka Yuki 田井中雪–keyboardist. Her hair style is the same as Serah from FFXIII (same VA as Mugi after all XD). Yuki's name means 'Snow'. She is the main provider of the club's snacks, which were homemade.

Hirasawa Kana 平沢香奈–lead guitarist, having played the instrument since meeting her adopted mothers. Spelling of Kana's name is derived from 'Nakano'. She is able to talk to Ai-chan, somehow.

Toyosaki Sakura 豊崎桜–Named after Yui's VA, and 'Sakura' came from 'Sakuragaoka' :3 She appears to be responsible and takes her job seriously, but she often goes on picture-taking sprees like a little kid. She also tends to smile for no reason. Thanks to the four, she will learn how to play the guitar.

* * *

It has been really fun writing this series, and once again thank you for reading!

~ AdrenaVeris, Jan 1, 2011.


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